Inside the Burns divorce

Brian and Carla Burns were embroiled in a divorce at the time of her death, which is believed to be on March 8. Burns is charged with two counts of first degree murder and one count of concealment of a body in connection with Carla's death.

The divorce had been going on since December 2014 and spanned two counties. The proceedings started when the husband and wife lived in McLeansboro in Hamilton County, and was eventually transferred to the Saline County Court system when they moved to 150 Baker Lane in Harrisburg.

Carla Burns, who was living in Marion at the time of her death, filed a petition for dissolution of marriage on Dec. 4, 2014, in McLeansboro where her husband and she were living. The petition shows that Burns' reason for filing for divorce was irreconcilable differences.

She asked, in the petition filed in Saline County, for her husband to provide her with financial support, to pay for her attorney and ensure the "reasonable disposition of marital assets and liabilities" and non-marital property.

Carla Burns also filed multiple petitions for temporary relief and restraining orders against Burns.

The petitions allege that Carla Burns was subjected to "constant verbal abuse from (Brian Burns)," and that she was concerned that her husband would become physically violent. The claim was made that Brian Burns took out $63,058 from the couple's joint bank accounts and requested that he not be able to spend it.

Brian Burns denied all his wife's allegations and filed a countersuit in January 2015.

In his petition, Brian Burns claims that his wife admitted to committing adultery with an unidentified individual during the course of the marriage. He also said in a Motion for Return of Personal Property that the couple had moved from their home in McLeansboro and she had taken his passport, scuba diving certification cards, various home documents and his two handguns, which he added that he owned before the two were married.

Burns accused his wife of taking the guns and refusing to return them, as she wanted to use them as "leverage" in the divorce proceedings. It is unclear if the guns were ever recovered and returned to Brian Burns.

Burns also stated that he was in fear of his wife, who he accused of working with her sister, an attorney in Texas, "On how to take from me (Brian Burns) all of our financial assets and to exploit my ability to earn an income to benefit her and to leave me destitute."

Numerous steps were detailed in divorce paperwork, including a planned mediation session with attorney Steve Green, who, in addition to serving as the Marion city attorney, is a partner at Armstrong and Green Attorneys at Law in Marion.

According to Green, the parties' respective attorneys were expected to send him position papers, but after Brian Burns' attorney required medical treatment, the husband's papers were never sent to Green, which stopped the mediation from taking place, Green said.

As the filings continued, a court appearance was set for March 10, the date that friends and family reported Carla Burns missing, and two days after the estimated day of her death.

Six days later, on March 16, Brian Burns was arrested on the two counts of murder and one count of concealment. The charges, filed in Saline County, accuse Burns of shooting his wife, burning her corpse and spreading the ashes.

Burns will next appear in Saline County Court for a preliminary hearing at 1 p.m. on April 7.