Is disgraced former New York police chief James Burke involved in the series of unsolved murders that took place in Suffolk County, Long Island between 2010-2011? Brand new Investigation Discovery Podcast "Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer" documents co-hosts’ Alexis Linkletter and Billy Jensen's efforts to re-investigate the Gilgo Beach series of murders.
Photo courtesy of Discovery+
Yesterday, episode 2 dropped of the brand new Investigation Discovery podcast "Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer" with true crime-duo Billy Jensen & Alexis Linkletter. Ten years ago, remains were discovered along Gilgo Beach and a decade later, the tale of eleven unsolved murders remains elusive in a police department where cops are paid more than 3x the national average - so why is that? Early into the first episode, we are introduced to Christopher Loeb, a man who grew burdened with such splintering, hidden testimony – testimony that “may possibly explain why police haven’t solved the case.”
Alexis Linkletter and Loeb, childhood friends, grew distant in the years following high school as Long Island faced an opioid epidemic and Chris found himself a victim. In 2013, Loeb and Linkletter reconnected after ten years. Loeb confided in Linkletter and increasingly felt the urge to reveal a “dark secret.” Still grappling with the revelation of the truth, but motivated to find the right platform to tell his story, Loeb finally agreed to go public in the summer of 2020. Loeb felt compelled – this time, with confidence in spite of fear – to tell the untold. To expose the corruption. To undermine the power trip of those who hold power.
Former Police Chief James Burke (2016) | Photo Courtesy of the NY Times
How did Christopher Loeb find himself enveloped in the heart of such a secret? Rumor had it that a local cop had been seizing drugs from dealers, but taking them into his own personal possession. In December of 2012, Loeb set out to find this cop and his duffel bag of drugs but got more than he bargained for when he looked inside. Police later raided Loeb's home and in walked Suffolk County Police Chief, James Burke, who seemed to have a personal vendetta against Chris. Loeb was taken to the police station, shackled to the floor and brutally assaulted by Burke who told him:
“I’m gonna murder your family, no one’s gonna care…just like those prostitutes."
Photo courtesy of ABC News
James Burke also threatened to kill Loeb and make it look like he'd overdosed on heroin. Episodes 1 & 2 bring to light the “blue wall of silence” – the unofficial oath of silence police officers uphold toward their fellow police officers. As a recovering heroin addict and no stranger to the prison system, Loeb's credibility teeters until the wall comes tumbling down, so to speak, in 2015 when the truth finally came out. Still, Loeb served three years in prison and and though his details are salient, he remains certain James Burke is hiding something related to the Long Island Serial Killer investigation. Burke resigns, hoping the charges will simply disappear and the media will dissolve, though later, pleads guilty to both the assault and to trying to cover up the assault.
Photo of Billy Jensen & Alexis Linkletter courtesy of Discovery+
While much is still unclear, one thing is. The black duffle bag Loeb took from James Burke's car was important - important enough for him to ruin his entire career and land him in prison. And in all of this, let's not forget the eleven women whose unsolved murders were overshadowed by Burke's incompetence and clear obstruction of justice. Alexis Linkletter and Billy Jensen look into this along with Burke's ties to the Long Island Serial Killer case in their compelling new podcast "Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer" airing weekly.