Michael Burham

Michael Burham is already facing 25 to 50 years in prison for kidnapping an elderly couple.

Now he may spend the rest of his life behind bars.

District Attorney Jason Schmidt announced late Wednesday that Michael Burham, 37, of Jamestown pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, arising from the shooting death of Kala Hodgkin on May 11, 2023.

Hodgkin accused Burham of forcibly raping her two months before her death and was shot dead in her home by him after a warrant was issued for his arrest, but before he was taken into custody.

Burham’s plea occurred Tuesday, during a final conference before jury selection was scheduled to begin on Jan. 13. After pleading to the top count in the indictment, Burham’s trial was canceled.

Schmidt said Burham is now scheduled to be sentenced on March 2 and is expected to receive an indeterminate prison sentence of 25 years to life.

“Two and one-half years after Kala was brutally executed in her home while she and her three kids slept during the early morning hours and not a single day has gone by that we haven’t thought about her and the children, preparing for this trial which was to take place next week, waiting to finally hold this monster accountable for his heinous, cowardly actions,” Schmidt said. “Whether by trial or plea, Mr. Burham’s judgment day was coming and we now look forward to sending him off to state prison where I hope he spends the rest of his life reliving what he did, murdering an innocent young mother, destroying a local family, and traumatizing Kala’s surviving children.

“Our thoughts and prayers have been and remain with the children, including Mr. Burham’s daughter who was sleeping upstairs when he broke into Kala’s home at about 4:20 in the morning and committed this shockingly evil crime. His plea (Tuesday) is the result of an iron-clad case put together through the collaborative efforts of Jamestown Police Department which led the investigation, my office, Chautauqua County Forensic Investigation Team, Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, Jamestown Fire Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Warren City Police and the Warren County District Attorney’s Office in Pennsylvania, and the North Charleston and Summerville Police Departments in South Carolina. We owe a debt of gratitude to each and every agency and person who worked tirelessly to develop the evidence used to secure this conviction.”

Burham is currently serving time behind bars in the kidnapping of an elderly Pennsylvania couple.

After Hodgkin was shot to death with her three children in her home, Burham started a vehicle on fire and fled to Pennsylvania.

While there, he kidnapped a Sheffield couple and they went to South Carolina, where Burham was eventually captured.

He was brought back to Warren County, where he escaped and was captured after a 10-day manhunt.

For the Pennsylvania crimes, Burham was sentenced to 25 years, two months to 50 years in Pennsylvania after he pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping, recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats, theft and burglary.

According to Schmidt, on Tuesday, County Court Judge David Foley told Burham that if he pleaded guilty to the top count, he would give him concurrent time with his Pennsylvania sentencing.

Schmidt said he supported that move. “A murder one conviction is very rare. We don’t see how he would ever be paroled,” he said.

In 2024 Schmidt held a press conference where he announced that he would be charging Burham with first- and second-degree murder as well as third-degree arson.

It was the first time that Schmidt had ever charged a suspect with first-degree murder, during his time in the District Attorney’s Office, either as the DA or an Assistant DA.

Schmidt explained back in 2024 that if a person kills a witness to prevent that person from testifying about a crime, the suspect can be charged with first-degree murder.

Schmidt noted that Hodgkin had come to Jamestown Police about a month prior looking for help, as a domestic violence victim.

After working with police, charges were filed against Burham for first-degree rape and second-degree unlawful imprisonment.

A warrant was issued but Burham was not taken into custody before Hodgkin was murdered.

Jamestown Police expressed satisfaction with the plea deal. Lieutenant Adam McKinley said, “A guilty plea for Murder First and to avoid putting the family through a lengthy trial is a win. Everyone involved did a thorough investigation which led to the guilty plea. We hope Michael Burham spends the rest of his life in prison for his actions.”