12/22/2021- 7:04 p.m.
An Upton man accused of killing his estranged wife has been indicted for a domestic violence murder and related charges by a LaRue County grand jury.
William Gerald “Billy” Burden, 53, is accused of shooting and killing his wife on Nov. 9 and then hiding her body in a sinkhole covered by dirt and debris, the indictment said. It also alleges that he concealed a gun, cell phone and her purse with the body.
In addition to murder, Burden faces charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and possession a handgun by a convicted felon, which also are all felony charges. He is being held in the Grayson County Detention Center on a $2 million cash bond.
Kentucky State Police troopers from Post 3 in Bowling Green arrested Burden at a business in Munfordville shortly after the body was found last month.
Erica Burden, 27, was last seen alive when she dropped off her daughter at Bonnieville Elementary School on the morning of Nov. 9. Her body was found Nov. 11 about 10 miles from Bonnieville in the Upton area of LaRue County.
The charge of murder is a Class A felony punishable by 20 to 50 years or life in prison, if convicted.
The charges of tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse are Class D felonies punishable by one to five years in prison, if convicted.
