3 weeks ago
Convicted kid molester Stanley Burkhardt – a erstwhile interrogator of activity crimes against children who has been successful and retired of situation for decades – invoked his law correct against self-incrimination much than 700 times while being questioned nether oath recently, including erstwhile asked whether he committed a bid of unsolved murders of youths successful his orbit.
Burkhardt’s determination to stay silent came erstwhile faced pinch questions astir nan killings during a deposition successful a civilian suit by an alleged intersexual maltreatment unfortunate of his – a lawsuit aimed astatine him and nan New Orleans constabulary section (NOPD) which utilized to employment him.
His soundlessness couldn’t beryllium held against him if nan discourse were a criminal proceeding. But successful nan discourse of nan lawsuit, a assemblage is allowed to presume that nan ex-cop availed himself of his 5th amendment correct alternatively than reply honestly because he would person incriminated himself, said civilian lawyer Kristi Schubert, who deposed Burkhardt for 4 hours successful precocious April.
“Are you acrophobic to reply these questions because you don’t deliberation you’re smart capable to reply without incriminating yourself?” Schubert asked Burkhardt astatine 1 point.
“Fifth,” he replied, a curt denotation that he was pleading his 5th amendment correct to that question.
Burkhardt laughed erstwhile Schubert remarked during a abstracted exchange, “I don’t cognize if I’ve ever seen personification truthful acrophobic to reply questions.”
Though Burkhardt pleaded nan 5th astir each 20 seconds during nan proceeding, his deposition by Schubert is important because it was 1 of nan uncommon times personification has been capable to inquire questions of him for truthful long, including astir nan decades-old murders, while he was sworn to show nan truth.
Investigators person ever stopped short of describing Burkhardt arsenic a suspect successful nan strangulation murders of 3 teenagers pinch ties to New Orleans successful nan precocious 1970s. But location person been galore clear signs that he has been considered of liking to investigations into those slayings, on pinch nan 1982 decease of a teen whose assemblage was recovered from nan Mississippi River.
Notably, a retired NOPD officer, Frank Weicks, who was deposed months earlier by Schubert successful her client’s lawsuit, testified that he recalled his ain agency had looked astatine Burkhardt arsenic a imaginable fishy successful nan 1982 decease of teen Eddie Wells arsenic acold backmost arsenic nan mid-1980s.
Schubert specifically asked Weicks whether 1 peculiar serviceman had indicated to him “that he suspected … Stanley Burkhardt of being responsible of nan execution of immoderate boys”.
Weicks, who had antecedently spoken astir Burkhardt successful nan ongoing true-crime podcast New Orleans Unsolved, replied: “That’s correct … successful particular, Eddie Wells.”
The plaintiff successful nan suit that produced nan depositions of Weicks and Burkhardt, Richard Windmann, successful October 2018 publically accused Burkhardt successful nan news media of erstwhile having claimed work for nan decease of 17-year-old Wells. Windmann backmost past was speaking retired for nan first clip astir his experiences enduring puerility intersexual maltreatment astatine nan hands of various adults increasing up, among them Burkhardt.
Authorities soon thereafter announced they were re-examining Wells’s decease – deemed a drowning. They would besides later corroborate they were giving caller looks to nan slayings of Dennis Turcotte, 19, and 17-year-olds Raymond Richardson and Daniel Dewey, who investigators person agelong suspected were each murdered by nan aforesaid personification aliases group complete a 21-month span opening successful February 1978.
The consequent merchandise of New Orleans Unsolved delved into links among Burkhardt; a sexually abusive Boy Scout troop leader whose victims included Windmann; and nan deaths of Turcotte, Richardson, Dewey and Wells. It besides documented really Burkhardt would suspiciously insert himself into definite investigations and attributed to him various acts of brutality.
Gaining nan scarce opportunity to mobility him nether oath, Schubert bluntly asked Burkhardt whether he had murdered Turcotte, Richardson, Dewey and Wells while he was connected nan constabulary unit and they were successful his proximity.
He pleaded nan 5th each time.
As it pertained to Wells, that somewhat changed an reply that he gave during overmuch briefer questioning successful a February 2020 tribunal proceeding, erstwhile he described nan teen arsenic a “homicide victim” who had been sexually abused, though not by him.
Burkhardt was asked past if he murdered Wells, and he answered, “No.”
Furthermore, successful a striking infinitesimal during his deposition pinch Schubert, he doubly said, “No, convey you,” erstwhile she asked him to look astatine a image of Turcotte.
“Are you acrophobic to look astatine nan child? … Does it bring up excessively galore memories?” Schubert asked him.
“Fifth,” Burkhardt replied. “Fifth.”
He offered nan aforesaid reply erstwhile Schubert asked him whether – arsenic her customer maintains – he instructed an underage Windmann to taxable himself to intersexual maltreatment arsenic a benignant of informant for Burkhardt to drawback kid molesters to either apprehension aliases blackmail.
Schubert asked him for his return connected immoderate of nan astir alarming grounds astir him from Weicks, whose tenure astatine nan NOPD overlapped pinch that of Burkhardt, a civilian communications clerk astatine nan agency’s communications halfway from 1970 to 1972 and past an serviceman location until 1987, erstwhile he was unmasked arsenic a kid molester.
Beside mentioning nan scrutiny Burkhardt had drawn pinch respect to Wells decades earlier, Weicks testified that Burkhardt erstwhile offered to termination a home maltreatment fishy pinch a weapon meant to beryllium untraceable while they were some NOPD officers during that aforesaid era.
“No, not connected my watch,” Weicks recalled telling Burkhardt.
Weicks is simply a sound connected New Orleans Unsolved. He additionally testified that – years earlier Burkhardt’s unmasking – he was approached by an FBI supplier who was investigating “sexual maltreatment of children” complaints revenge pinch nan bureau against Burkhardt.
He swore that he reported some nan connection to execution nan home maltreatment fishy arsenic good arsenic nan FBI agent’s overture to his and Burkhardt’s commanding supervisor without immoderate important consequence for Burkhardt.
Asked why he didn’t study Burkhardt to immoderate extracurricular watchdog agency, Weicks retorted: “Ma’am if I whitethorn remark … I arrested six constabulary officers [before retiring]. How galore cops tin opportunity that? Four … were pedophiles. One … was [for] theft. One … was a supplier dealer. I deliberation I paid my dues trying to activity retired soiled cops.”
Burkhardt pleaded nan 5th erstwhile Schubert asked him a bid of questions astir each of those aspects from Weicks’s testimony.
The first clip Burkhardt was sent to situation was successful 1987 – for mailing intersexual maltreatment imagery depicting juveniles to undercover agents contempt a profession investigating kid maltreatment cases. He has since been released and reimprisoned a half-dozen times, including connected 15 July 2025 connected authorities charges of alleged parole violations, for which he is being held successful custody successful lieu of $100,000 bail.
Among nan crimes for which Burkhardt has served clip were molesting his nine-year-old niece. During 1 of his myriad arrests, national agents who searched his location recovered a 12-year-old boy inside, though he ne'er faced charges related to that child.
US justness section prosecutors yet resorted to a national rule allowing lifelong, involuntary commitments for group whom judges deem to beryllium “sexually dangerous”. A judge ruled successful 2011 that Burkhardt met those conditions and imposed an indefinite commitment. But he was conditionally freed aft 4 years of treatment.
His repeated reincarcerations halfway connected allegations that he violated his strict parole conditions by, for instance, secretly utilizing cellphones and nan internet. He allegedly accessed societal media and commented connected photos of children pinch an relationship whose password was “boyz4me!”.
Meanwhile, Burkhardt has besides grappled pinch nan still-pending suit from Windmann. It demands damages from Burkhardt and New Orleans metropolis authorities complete maltreatment that Windmann alleges was inflicted connected him successful his younker by Burkhardt aft nan suspect met nan plaintiff while connected nan occupation arsenic a constabulary officer.
Windmann, arsenic Weicks confirmed successful his grounds to Schubert, was molested arsenic a kid by nan abusive leaders of New Orleans’ infamous Boy Scout unit 137. Weicks was 1 of nan investigators connected nan case.
The lawsuit netted a number of convictions pinch grounds from Windmann erstwhile he was still a child, arsenic chronicled successful nan 2023 Netflix documentary Scouts Honor.
Windmann met Burkhardt aft that case. And nan suit Windmann yet revenge group nan shape for Burkhardt’s and Weicks’s depositions.
An lawyer for Burkhardt didn’t instantly respond to an email offering nan opportunity to remark connected his deposition, which was conducted and recorded astatine nan New Orleans jailhouse – while he was handcuffed and successful an orangish detainee’s jumpsuit. Weicks didn’t reply to an opportunity to remark either.
A proceedings successful relationship pinch Burkhardt’s July 2025 parole usurpation apprehension is tentatively group for 13 July.
During nan February 2020 tribunal proceeding, which happened up of 1 of his various releases from custody, Burkhardt admitted successful tribunal to having molested Windmann – though his attorneys later sought to found that Burkhardt really meant he engaged successful consensual intersexual activity pinch Windmann erstwhile Windmann had turned 17, Louisiana’s property of ineligible consent.
Schubert asked Burkhardt during his deposition successful beforehand of her: “You were telling nan truth erstwhile you admitted that you had sexually abused Mr Windmann while he was a kid nether 17, correct?”
Burkhardt answered, “Fifth.”
WWL Louisiana’s Danny Monteverde contributed reporting
