A Texas Tenant Received an Eviction Notice. So, He Tried to Hire a Hitman to Kill His Landlord But Instead Got Caught.

A Texas man on the verge of being evicted from his residence will now be spending the rest of his life behind bars after he tried to hire a hitman to murder his landlord, according to authorities.

In June 2022, 36-year-old Andrew Christopher Burke approached an individual asking them to help kill his Sugar Land landlord amid a pending eviction proceeding, KRIV reported.

After getting the request from Burke, the potential hitman instead reported Burke to the police and agreed to cooperate as a confidential informant, officials said.

Police then equipped the informant with a recording device and they engaged in meeting with Burke, capturing damning evidence, authorities said.

In the recordings, Burke reportedly promised to pay the informant for carrying out the murder. He also resorted to threats of torture if the act wasn’t completed, officials said.

Burke also provided a gun to the informant they could use in the planned murder, police said.

He was soon arrested and while in custody awaiting trial, Burke reportedly committed assaults against jail guards and staff, officials said.

On Sept. 21, a Fort Bend County jury found Burke guilty of solicitation to commit capital murder and handed down a life sentence, along with a maximum fine of $10,000, KRIV reported.

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During closing statements, Prosecutor Katherine Peterson said, "Andrew Burke should remain in prison for as long as he is a danger to the public."

When asked about the severity of the sentence, Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton emphasized the appropriateness of a life sentence, given Burke’s criminal conduct and continued violence, KRIV reported.