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Former Gainesville flea market owner murdered
A Fredericksburg man was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of George Parks.Parks, 87, owned the 33-acre site on U.S. 17 (Marsh Road) near Bealeton in Fauquier County but to Gainesville residents, he was the former owner of Parks Flea Market on U.S. 29.
“We developed Julian [Lee] Burke as a suspect early in the investigation and worked with detectives from the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office early on to locate him,” said Lt. James Hartman of the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office.
Burke, 63, is known to frequent the Falmouth area, Hartman said. Authorities actually found him at a Fredericksburg motel and took him into custody without incident.
The investigation that resulted in Burke’s arrest began at approximately 8:19 p.m. Friday, when Fauquier County deputies went to the old Hugo's site at 12099 Marsh Road on a report of someone being assaulted with a baseball bat.
When they got there, they found Parks, who had been struck in the head with some sort of object while he was outside the old dance hall on the property, according to Sheriff Charlie Ray Fox Jr.
Parks was transported to Mary Washington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Parks' current complex is located at the former Hugo’s Skateway where a giant roller skate still sits by the side of the road.
By 10 p.m., the parking lot in front of Hugo’s was packed with police cars and authorities cordoned off the area outside the dance hall with yellow crime-scene tape. Flash bulbs popped as investigators photographed the scene.
“We’re interviewing anyone and everyone who might have seen anything,” Fox said.
Search warrant affidavits filed in Fauquier and Stafford County circuit courts provide additional insight into the investigation.
In them, Fauquier Detective T.A. Durica said someone saw Burke with a baseball bat in the parking lot where Parks was assaulted just before he was attacked. Another witness saw a white man that looked like Burke assaulting Parks with a baseball bat during the same time frame.
One of the witnesses “is familiar with Burke” and has seen him have financial dealings with Parks on a “routine basis,” according to the search warrant affidavits.
Durica also noted that prior to the assault on Friday, Parks cashed a check for Burke in the amount of $1,000 that was returned for insufficient funds.
Police cannot say for sure whether the botched financial transaction was a motive in the deadly assault.
Burke was seen leaving the area in a Dodge pickup, and DMV records confirmed he owns that type of vehicle. Authorities located both the pickup and Burke at the Motel 6 in Fredericksburg.
Authorities obtained permission to search Burke, the hotel room where he was found and his vehicle. They recovered numerous items, including a brown suitcase and white bag, both containing clothing; a baseball hat and a cell phone. However there is nothing in the court records to indicate that investigators found anything belonging to Parks.
Parks' wallet was missing from his pants pocket, which was torn, according to the search warrant affidavits.
As of Tuesday, police had not recovered the baseball bat that was allegedly used in the assault.
According to court records, Burke does not seem to have a significant criminal history. He was found not guilty in Stafford County General District Court of operating an uninspected motor vehicle earlier this year; and paid a $25 fine for driving a vehicle with expired registration back in 2000.
This June, Burke pleaded guilty in Stafford County General District Court to a misdemeanor count of obtaining money by false pretenses. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, but the sentence was suspended in its entirety. He paid $191 in court costs June 24.
He is scheduled to appear in Fauquier County General District Court on the first-degree murder charge at 9 a.m. Dec. 3.
Parks moved his operations to Fauquier County after his Gainesville flea market was closed in 2004, following a battle with the county over zoning violations. He had operated the Gainesville Flea Market since 1993.
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