BROOKSVILLE, Fla. (AP) _ A Tampa Bay area man will be sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing his father.
As part of a deal with Hernando County prosecutors, 41-year-old Christopher Burke pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree murder.
He faced a possible life sentence if convicted at trial. His official sentencing date is Dec. 15.
Authorities say Burke beat and strangled his father, 61-year-old Raymond, in October 2011 and then buried the older man behind their Istachatta mobile home.
Other family members grew suspicious when Burke said his father had left the state.
The Tampa Bay Times (http://bit.ly/SYY4m2) reports that the sheriff’s office began investigating and found Raymond Burke’s body about two months after he was killed.