New Orleans child molester questioned on unsolved killings takes the fifth 700 times

"Convicted child molester Stanley Burkhardt, a former investigator of sex crimes against children who has been in and out of prison for decades, invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination more than 700 times while being questioned under oath recently, including when asked whether he committed a series of unsolved murders of youths in his orbit. Burkhardt's decision to remain silent came when faced with questions about the killings during a deposition in a civil lawsuit by an alleged sexual abuse victim of his, a case aimed at him and the New Orleans police department (NOPD) which used to employ him."

"His silence couldn't be held against him if the context were a criminal proceeding. But in the context of the lawsuit, a jury is allowed to presume that the ex-cop availed himself of his fifth amendment right rather than answer honestly because he would have incriminated himself, said civil attorney Kristi Schubert, who deposed Burkhardt for four hours in late April. Are you afraid to answer these questions because you don't think you're smart enough to answer without incriminating yourself? Schubert asked Burkhardt at one point."

"Fifth, he replied, a curt indication that he was pleading his fifth amendment right to that question. Burkhardt laughed when Schubert remarked during a separate exchange, I don't know if I've ever seen somebody so afraid to answer questions. Though Burkhardt pleaded the fifth about every 20 seconds during the proceeding, his deposition by Schubert is significant because it was one of the rare times someone has been able to ask questions of him for so long, including about the decades-old murders, while he was sworn to tell the truth."

"Investigators have always stopped short of describing Burkhardt as a suspect in the strangulation murders of three teenagers with ties to New Orleans in the late 1970s. But there have been numerous clear signs that he has been considered of interest to investigations into those slayings, along with t"

A convicted child molester, a former investigator of sex crimes against children, invoked the constitutional right against self-incrimination more than 700 times during a sworn deposition. The deposition occurred in a civil lawsuit brought by an alleged sexual abuse victim against him and the New Orleans police department, where he previously worked. When asked about whether he committed a series of unsolved murders of youths connected to his orbit, he refused to answer. His silence could not be used against him in a criminal proceeding, but in the civil case a jury may presume he invoked the Fifth Amendment to avoid incriminating himself. The deposition is notable because it allowed extended questioning under oath, including about murders from the late 1970s.

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