Preliminary hearing delayed in Burns case

Brian Burns, accompanied by his attorney, appeared before Judge Walden E. Morris on Thursday afternoon for a preliminary hearing in the case against him.

On March 16, Brian Burns, 56, was arrested by deputies with the Saline County Sheriff's Office and charged with her murder. According to the charges, Burns is accused of shooting his estranged wife, burning her corpse and spreading the ashes in order to conceal the crime.

The two counts of first degree murder are classified in Illinois as Class M felonies, meaning that Burns faces 20-60 years in prison for each count - a total of 40-120 years, if no other circumstantial evidence is presented. The charge of concealment of a body is considered a Class 3 felony, which could bring Burns 2-5 years.

While waiting to appear before the judge, Burns sat in the corner of the courtroom, alternating between looking down at his hands and conversing with his lawyer, Nick Brown of Lawler Brown Law Firm in Marion.

In addition to the preliminary hearing scheduled for Thursday, Brown had filed a motion to reduce his client' bond. Burns is facing $10 million in bail or $1 million in bond. The motion filed by Brown asked for a reduction to $500,000 in bail and $50,000 in bond.

While Thursday's hearing was intended to discuss the state's cause against Burns, Saline County State's Attorney Michael Henshaw asked the court for a delay. The state had sent evidence off to the crime lab, but the results and report have not been sent back to the state.

Henshaw stated that the state was unsure whether or not they would like to use the resulting reports in the preliminary hearing against Burns.

"We'd like to examine the results," Henshaw said.

Brown concurred with the state's request to delay the preliminary hearing so that they could also examine the returns from the crime lab.

Judge Morris approved the state's request to delay the preliminary hearing, as well as the bond hearing. Burns will next appear in court on Thursday, April 28 at 1 p.m to resolve the preliminary hearing and motion.

Burns' estranged wife Carla, 49, was last seen in Saline County on Tuesday, March 8. She was reported missing by her friends and family on Thursday, March 10. As Burns lived in Marion at the time of her disappearance, the case was originally picked up by the Marion Police Department, who reached out to authorities in Saline County after the case advanced.

Brian and Carla Burns had begun divorce proceedings when they lived in Hamilton County in December of 2014. The case continued in Saline County, after the two moved to Harrisburg. The two were next meant to appear in court on March 10 - the day Burns was reported missing.