‘Meet, Marry, Murder: Burns’ by Peacock tells the story of Carla Burns, 57, who went missing from a Marion, Illinois, motel in early March 2016. However, after uncovering her remains and questioning their chief suspect, the investigators solved the case in a week. The offender devised an unusual escape plan but was captured before it could be carried out.
Who Was Carla Burns?
Carla Mae Burns, a native Texan, was a nursing lecturer at Southeastern Illinois College when she was murdered at a Marion, Illinois, motel in March 2016. In 2009, she married Brian T. Burns, a doctor who lived in Harrisburg. According to the show, the couple enjoyed scuba diving and travelled to Costa Rica. They both had a white dog named Chloe. According to court filings, she moved to Illinois after her marriage was finalised, first to Hamilton County and subsequently to the Harrisburg area.
Morthland College employed Brian as a hospitalist, who also worked in numerous area hospitals, including Harrisburg Medical and Marshall Browning Hospital in DuQuoin, according to Harrisburg Medical Centre administration. Their marriage, however, did not last long, as Carla filed for divorce on December 4, 2014. She claimed “irreconcilable differences” arose within the marriage, resulting in a “irretrievable breakdown” of the partnership. She said that she had exhausted all possible reconciliations, which led to her decision.
Carla’s divorce petition included multiple petitions indicating that Brian did not desire the divorce and verbally attacked her when she refused to change her mind. She packed her stuff, moved out of their marital Harrisburg house, and obtained a restraining order to prevent her divorced husband from taking tens of thousands of dollars from the couple’s joint bank account. On August 28, 2015, she claimed Brian falsified her signature in order to liquidate the account and seek to dispose of their $63,058 shared life savings.
In subsequent files, Brian filed his own claims, accusing his wife of “economic blackmail, verbal harassment, and unfounded allegations that could jeopardise his medical licence.” His attorney also claimed she stole two registered handguns and several paperwork from him, including his passport. The harsh and protracted divorce processes continued as the two clashed over financial concerns, with Carla demanding compensation from him to cover her living expenses following the divorce and a division of their marital assets.
Who Killed Carla Burns?
Meanwhile, Carla’s two sons resided in Texas with her family, and the show revealed that she intended to return to Texas after completing her semester at Southeastern Illinois College. Her family, however, reported her missing to authorities in early March 2016, claiming they had been unable to contact her for two days. She was last seen leaving her Harrisburg, Illinois, office at 3:30 p.m. on March 8, 2016. Investigators spotted her car parked at her estranged husband’s Harrisburg house.
It sparked suspicion because it was her only mode of mobility. Brian also had their puppy, Chloe, which family members thought was uncommon for Carla to abandon. Brian initially cooperated with authorities, expressing concern about her access to prescriptions and a weapon, implying she would be suicidal as a result of their marital troubles. A neighbour, however, reported hearing gunshots around the time Carla went missing, throwing doubt on Brian’s assertions.
Brian’s behaviour became increasingly tense as the investigation progressed, heightening the investigators’ fears. The case took a turn when they discovered a burn pile near Brian’s property. The police received authorization from the property owner to inspect the area, which resulted in the disturbing discovery of minor bone fragments and human remains within the burn pile. As the investigation progressed, Brian’s account began to crumble, revealing apparent contradictions. On March 16, 2016, he was arrested on murder allegations.
Following his detention, he gave investigators conflicting accounts of what occurred. On March 8, he claimed Carla came to his house and demanded to shoot a handgun. He claimed she discharged the 9-mm pistol by accident, and the rebound caused it to fire a second deadly shot to her forehead. He also revealed an uncomfortable detail: he had witnessed a ritual cremation during one of their excursions to Costa Rica, a ceremony that had greatly upset them both. Carla, Brian stated, had expressed a desire to be cremated.
As a result, he claimed to have thrown Carla’s body into a fire pit and carried out what he thought were her desires. He then spread her ashes throughout the land, claiming it was Carla’s wish. Brian was charged with first-degree murder on two counts and concealing a homicidal death on one count. His medical licence was also suspended as a result of the serious charges. Meanwhile, the detectives discovered some unusual facts surrounding the case that suggested possible premeditation.
A trail camera showed Brian preparing the burn pile days before the murder, according to sources. A neighbour claimed Brian had urged him to load a weapon while wearing rubber gloves days before Carla’s abduction. Authorities suspected Brian of attempting to frame his neighbour for a crime he planned to commit. Following the murder, he incriminated himself further by admitting to hiding Carla’s phone under the same neighbor’s vehicle seat, confirming the detectives’ theory about his cover-up.
Where is Brian Burns Now?
While awaiting trial for Carla’s murder on a one-million-dollar bond, Brian became involved in a weird conspiracy to kidnap Saline County States Attorney Mike Henshaw. He befriended a fellow inmate, Mark Stricklin, who was facing child sexual assault accusations and later functioned as an informant, while in jail. Mark wore a wire and recorded Brian offering $1000 for kidnapping former Saline County State Attorney Mike Henshaw in order to get him to drop the murder charges against him.
Brian was charged with further counts in September 2016, including solicitation and conspiracy to conduct kidnapping. Attorney Henshaw died in March 2017 as a result of an unintentional fall at home. In May 2017, he was found guilty of attempted aggravated kidnapping, solicitation, and conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping. In January 2018, he was sentenced to 20 years in jail. In December 2019, the murder trial began, with the prosecution presenting Carla’s former colleagues who testified about his fixation with her.
The prosecutors also offered evidence of a financial motive, namely that Brian had deeded the couple’s home to his uncle prior to the divorce. He had also faked Carlas’ signature and created a will in his own handwriting. According to the show, he was also aware of Carla’s plans to file her taxes separately, which would raise his taxes by $15,000. In December 2019, he was convicted of first-degree murder and concealing a homicidal death and sentenced to 40 years in prison. Carla’s boys were granted eleven million dollars in a civil wrongful death complaint in May 2018. The 64-year-old is still behind bars at Pinckneyville Correctional Centre and will be eligible for parole in 2075.
