- A Maryland man is accused of fatally shooting his pharmacist brother because he was distributing COVID-19 vaccines.
- Per court documents, Jeffrey Allen Burnham thought his brother was “poisoning people” by giving them COVID jabs.
- Burnham also told his mother before the shooting that he thought his brother knew “something” about the vaccines.
A Maryland man is accused of fatally shooting his pharmacist brother because he believed he was poisoning people by giving them the COVID-19 vaccine.
Jeffrey Allen Burnham, 46, is accused of killing his older brother, Brian Robinette, 58, and his wife, Kelly Sue Robinette, 57, on September 30.
Per court documents, Burnham told his mother, Evelyn Robinette, that he was going to confront his brother because of his profession and his hunch that Brian Robinette was administering what he believed to be “poisonous” COVID-19 vaccines to people.
Evelyn Robinette told law enforcement that Burnham repeatedly stated, “Brian knows something.” According to the court filing, she said she called the Cumberland Police Department on September 29 because Burnham kept making statements to her about the FBI “coming after” him, which made her fear for his mental stability.
Law enforcement found the Robinettes’ bodies in their home in Ellicott City, Maryland, and both appeared to have been shot multiple times. The court filing also noted that the police found an empty box for a .40-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun at Burnham’s home.
Court documents further revealed that a tipster had contacted the Maryland State Police department on September 30, saying they had interacted with Burnham that evening. The unnamed tipster said Burnham asked him for gas for his red Corvette, then told him that he would soon see Burnham “on TV.” The tipster also informed law enforcement that Burnham told him during the exchange that his brother (Robinette) was “killing people with the COVID shot.”
Authorities also believe Burnham murdered his mother’s childhood friend, Rebecca Reynolds, 83, on September 29. According to the Baltimore Sun, Reynolds was found dead in her home with a deep cut across her throat and a pillow over her face. Per court filings, Burnham is accused of stealing Reynolds’ car, which was found a day later near Brian and Kelly Sue Robinette’s home in Ellicott City.
Burnham was arrested and extradited to Maryland on Tuesday after a search in West Virginia. Per court documents seen by Insider, he is currently being held without bond in Allegany County and faces two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder.
Friends of Brian and Kelly Sue Robinette set up a GoFundMe to help raise funds for the couple’s two children. At press time, the fundraiser had collected more than $90,000.