Judge adds 10 years to Bristolville man's life sentence for killing inmate

Austin Burke

Ten years have been added to the sentence of a former Bristolville man serving life in prison for a murder in Trumbull County.

Austin Burke, 26, pleaded guilty late last week to manslaughter and two counts of assault.

The judge presiding over the case in Scioto County Common Pleas Court immediately added ten to 15 years to the life sentence Burke is already serving.  Burke now must wait until 2085 before he becomes eligible for parole.

Prosecutors say Burke killed a fellow prison inmate during fight last year, and in a separate incident cut a corrections officer.

Burke was in prison for the 2017 shooting death of Kenneth Brandon Sample whose body was in the Grand River Wildlife Area.

A jury convicted Burke in March 2018 on charges of aggravated murder, tampering with evidence, two charges of aggravated robbery, and weapons violations.

He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 30 years, followed by 11 years for the aggravated robbery convictions and firearm specifications. Those charges would keep Burke in prison for a minimum of 47 years.

Burke was handed another 11-year sentence for possession of a deadly weapon while in a detention center after he was found to have a "shank" in a Trumbull County Jail cell.