A judge may decide Friday to retire the remaining charges against the man known as the “Wooded Rapist.”
On Aug. 13, the state filed a motion to retire seven untried counts against Robert Jason Burdick, 40, in Davidson County because prosecutors believe more convictions are unnecessary and Burdick won’t live to see freedom again as it is.
The matter is set to go before Criminal Court Judge Seth Norman Friday morning. The state’s motion to retire the charges says Burdick already has been tried and convicted on six counts in Davidson County, racking up an effective sentence of 62 years in prison, 52 of which must be fully served.
On top of that, a Williamson County judge has sentenced Burdick to 50 years that must be served at 100 percent consecutively to the other sentences. Burdick also is set for a March 2011 trial on charges in Wilson County and faces charges in two other Williamson County cases.
The seven remaining counts in Davidson County involve five victims, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors stated they had discussed the decision to retire the charges with the victims, who approved of the motion.
Burdick, a former security company owner, was indicted in April 2008 on 13 counts of various rape kidnapping and burglary charges on crimes as far back as 1994.
He earned the moniker “Wooded Rapist” by attacking victims who usually lived near wooded areas, often under the cover of rainy nights.