Man sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for murdering ex-girlfriend

A 37-year-old man from New York is expected to spend his life in prison for killing a mother of three, right after she accused him of assault.

Chautauqua County Judge David Foley sentenced Michael Charles Burham to 25 years to life for the 2023 murder of Kala Hodgkin, as announced by the authorities.

This sentence was delivered after Burham admitted guilt to first-degree murder in January, just before his trial's jury selection was set to start.

"More than two years after Kala was savagely killed in her home while she and her three children were asleep, not a day has passed without thinking of her and those kids. 

Preparing for this trial scheduled for next week, we were ready to hold this man accountable for his horrible and cowardly acts," stated District Attorney Jason Schmidt following Burham's admission. 

"Whether through a trial or a plea, Burham's day of reckoning was inevitable, and we now focus on sending him to state prison where he will live haunted by his actions—taking the life of an innocent young mother, tearing a family apart, and leaving Kala's children devastated."

As Law&Crime previously reported, Burham on March 13, 2023, broke into the home of Hodgkin on William Street in Jamestown, New York, while she and her three children, aged 8, 11, and 14, slept.

At the time of the homicide, there was an outstanding warrant for Burham’s arrest regarding the assault of Hodgkin, yet he had not been apprehended.

Following the warrant for the murder, on May 20, 2023, Burham abducted an elderly couple at gunpoint in Warren County, Pennsylvania, and drove them to Charleston, South Carolina.

 The police found the couple unharmed soon after, capturing Burham a few days later when a homeowner saw him in their backyard.

While being held at Warren County Prison in Pennsylvania, Burham escaped on July 6, 2023, using a rope crafted from bedsheets. He evaded capture for 10 days until a couple’s dog alerted them to his presence in their backyard.

He confessed to kidnapping, endangering others, making terroristic threats, and burglary.

A judge in Pennsylvania sentenced Burham to 25 to 50 years for the kidnapping, which he is now serving. After this, he will go to New York for his sentence in Hodgkin's murder case.

Even though the sentences for kidnapping and murder run concurrently, Schmidt expressed doubt about Burham ever being paroled after admitting to first-degree murder.