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‘Kindest heart of all’: Children of mother killed in plot orchestrated by their father testify in death sentence hearing

Jerry Burns was found guilty of first-degree murder

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The sentencing hearing began Monday morning in the case of a Jacksonville man found guilty of first-degree murder in the plot to have his wife killed in 2019.

Jerry Burns, who is facing the death penalty, was found guilty Friday of plotting to kill his wife, Velvet Burns.

Velvet Burns was stabbed 39 times at her home on the Westside on May 9, 2019.

RELATED | A Jacksonville woman was stabbed 39 times while she slept. Her husband is accused of paying his mistress to kill her

According to prosecutors, Jerry Burns worked with his mistress, Amanda Love, to hire someone to murder his wife. That someone happened to be Love’s longtime on-again, off-again partner, Stephen Hand.

Amanda Love, the mistress of a man charged with murder in the stabbing death of his wife in 2019 is set to testify Thursday to her role in what prosecutors are calling a murder-for-hire plot. (Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.)

Jerry and Velvet Burns’ children were among the people who took the stand during the sentencing hearing.

“My mother, Velvet Burns, was a beautiful person inside and out,” her son said. “She put everyone above herself and had the kindest heart of all.”

“The hurt that my family has gone through I wish on no one,” he added.

Jerry and Velvet Burns’ daughter said she is still navigating the loss of her mom and dad.

“I struggle to cut up my food because I wonder if this is the kind of knife that my mom was killed with,” she said.

They both feared they and other loved ones would be murdered next.

“We were terrified that they would come back to get our family. We took turns sleeping,” the daughter said. “Now I am planning a wedding without the guidance of my mom. My dad won’t be there to walk me down the aisle. There won’t be anyone for my children to call grandparents.”

Velvet Burns. (Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.)

Hand and Love were both convicted of killing Velvet Burns. Hand pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison in 2022.

MORE | ‘Cheaper if she was killed’: Mistress of man accused in murder-for-hire plot says she killed wife for money, not love

Under a new state law that went into effect last year, the jury does not need to reach a unanimous decision to recommend the death sentence.

The recommendation requires at least an 8 to 4 split, in favor of execution.

Florida is one of just three states out of the 27 that impose the death penalty — to not require unanimity.

MORE | Man convicted in murder of Jacksonville woman testifies her husband paid him to stab her to death

The defense on Monday attempted to spare Jerry Burns' life from the death penalty characterizing him as a family man.

During the sentencing hearing, a warden is expected to talk about Jerry Burns' positive impact at the jail, including his work as an electrician.

Burns was assessed to have a low IQ and also had low self-esteem due to childhood abuse. But the prosecution said a witness said he wanted to pay $30,000 to kill his wife and give her pills that would cause her to have a heart attack. The defense brought this up to suggest that despite his low IQ he still had the ability to plan his wife’s murder.

Jerry Burns is facing the death penalty or life without parole. The jury is expected to make the sentencing recommendation on Tuesday.


About the Authors
Briana Brownlee headshot

Briana Brownlee is excited to call Jacksonville home and join the News4JAX team. She joins us from Southwest Florida, where she reported at Fox 4 News in Fort Myers. Before making it to the Sunshine state, she got her start in Rapid City South Dakota as the morning reporter and later transitioned into the weekend Sports Anchor.

Jenese Harris headshot

Veteran journalist and Emmy Award winning anchor

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