Seattle woman accused of killing father with ice axe after argument about lights

SEATTLE, Wash. — Corey Lizette Burke, a 33-year-old Seattle woman, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of her father, Timothy Burke, after what authorities describe as a violent attack at their home on November 5.

Charging documents from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office reveal chilling details about the incident, which began with a dispute over household lights.

According to investigators, Burke and her father, 67-year-old Timothy Burke, began arguing after he insisted on keeping lights on, which escalated when Burke allegedly decided she “needed to do something” about her father.

After the argument, Burke reportedly went upstairs, retrieved an ice axe, and returned to confront him in the basement.

Detectives allege that she tripped him and used the axe to strike him repeatedly.

She reportedly admitted to officers that she also strangled him with her hands and the axe while he struggled to breathe, sustaining injuries to his head, back, and side.

Charging documents further state that Burke struck her father multiple times with the ice axe, inflicting puncture wounds deep enough to penetrate his lung and rib cage.

Additional injuries included blunt force trauma to his head and what officers described as bite marks on his back.

Burke allegedly remained by her father’s side until he stopped breathing.

Afterward, she went upstairs and reportedly smashed several windows in her home, leading to neighbors calling 911.

When officers arrived on the scene shortly after 8 p.m., they found Burke outside the residence, visibly disoriented with blood on her face.

She was reportedly unresponsive to questions, stating only that she was “sick” and hadn’t eaten.

Burke denied taking any substances but did not provide clear answers regarding the situation inside.

Officers detained her after she refused to allow a search of the home and requested medical attention, claiming she needed to go to the hospital.

Concerned about the welfare of Timothy Burke, whom neighbors reported as elderly and often housebound, officers conducted a welfare check inside the residence.

They found Timothy Burke deceased in a basement bedroom with obvious signs of trauma.

A bloodied ice axe was located on the floor in the upstairs living room and shattered glass from the windows lay scattered across the front yard.

Following her transport to Harborview Medical Center, Burke was placed under police custody.

During her interview with detectives, she reportedly admitted to the killing, describing feeling overwhelmed by her relationship with her father and recounting that she “freaked out” during their argument.

She allegedly told detectives, “I killed him” and provided further details on the attack, including her decision to strike him with the axe multiple times to ensure he wouldn’t survive.

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed Timothy Burke’s cause of death as a combination of severe blunt force trauma, puncture wounds, and asphyxiation, all consistent with the alleged assault.

Corey Burke is currently being held at the King County Jail with bail set at $2 million.

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