A man was sentenced to death on Friday for the murder of his teenage daughter in Monroe, North Carolina.
Thirty-five-year-old Joshua Lee Burgess killed his daughter, Zaria, three years ago after torturing the young woman for a prolonged amount of time inside his house, WBTV reported.
In a social media post, the Union County District Attorney’s Office detailed the case and said the sentence was handed down following a three-week trial:
On August 18, 2019, Burgess killed 15-year-old Zaria by slitting her throat after psychologically and sexually torturing her for 22 hours at his home off Airport Road in Monroe. In addition to one count of first degree murder, Burgess was convicted of one count of statutory rape, three counts of statutory sex offense, and one count of first degree sexual exploitation of a minor. He received an additional minimum of nearly 76 years in prison for those offenses.
Joshua Lee Burgess, 35, was sentenced to death today for the murder of his daughter Zaria. After approximately three…
Posted by Union County District Attorney's Office on Friday, June 3, 2022
District Attorney Trey Robison described it as a “very emotional case.”
“This was truly an especially heinous, atrocious, and cruel killing of an innocent child. This case was emotionally taxing for everyone involved. We continue to grieve with and pray for Zaria’s mother,” the office’s post read.
In a press release on August 18, 2019, the Union County Sheriff’s Office said Burgess entered the office lobby and explained he wanted to turn himself in to authorities.
“Once the dispatcher began inquiring about his name and searching for possible arrest warrants, Burgess told her she would not find his name and that he had just killed someone,” the post continued.
When deputies went to Burgess’ home, they found the victim dead inside the house.
“The details of this murder are indescribable,” Union County Sheriff Eddie Cathey told reporters in 2019.
“Every officer and detective involved in this case is feeling the effects of what happened to this child. There is no logical answer to explain why this man did what he is accused of doing. Our hearts and prayers are with [the victim’s] mom and her family,” Cathey added.
