Arrest in Burk case

For those who have followed developments in the Tuesday murder of 18-year-old Auburn student Lauren Burk, this from Auburn Police today:

For Immediate Release Date of Release: March 8, 2008

Contact: Auburn Police Division Phone: (334) 501-3110

Suspect Arrested in Lauren Burk Case

The Auburn Police Division once again recognizes and wishes to thank each of the following agencies participating in the join task force: the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms; the US Marshal's Service; the Alabama Bureau of Investigation; the Alabama Department of Forensic Science; the Alabama State Fire Marshal's Office; the Lee County District Attorney's Office; the Lee County Sheriff's Office; the Lee County Coroner's Office; the Opelika Police Department; and the Auburn University Public Safety and Security Division.

In addition to the above-mentioned agencies, we would like to thank Chief Brian McGarr and the Phenix City, AL Police Department for their fine work and assistance.

Thank you also to the countless agencies across the nation, state, and City who have offered their assistance.

Today, we are pleased to announce that a suspect in the murder case of Lauren Burk, an 18 year old Auburn University freshman student, was taken into custody yesterday by the Phenix City Police Department. He is identified as Courtney Larrell Lockhart, age 23, of Smiths, AL. He is charged with capital murder during a kidnapping; capital murder during a robbery; and capital murder during an attempted rape.

Task force members had developed Lockhart as a suspect and were attempting to establish his identity when Phenix City Police took him into custody on an unrelated offense. A great deal of work remains in this tragic case. With that in mind, many of the details will continue to be closely safeguarded.

A final thank you today to Governor Bob Riley's Office for immediately posting a $10,000 reward in this case and to each of the businesses and private citizens who added to the fund. A special thanks goes to the local community, Auburn University, and the Auburn Chamber of Commerce for their support throughout the investigation.

In closing, we again extend our heartfelt sympathy to all of the family and friends of Miss Burk who, along with the Auburn family, have suffered a great loss.