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Man arrested for stabbing his grandmother to death 34 years ago

Posted at 8:59 AM, Dec 14, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-14 20:27:08-05

The McLennan County Sheriff's Department has arrested a man for the murder of his grandmother 34 years ago.

McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara said the cold case unit, which was formed a year ago, interviewed more than 50 people in the past 16 months in connection to the murder of 56-year-old Vera "Jean" Burleson.

According to the arrest affidavit, she was found stabbed to death in her Bellmead home the morning of June 25, 1984.

She had three knife wounds to the head, including one in between her eyes.

Detectives recently interviewed a witness, who said Burleson's grandson, 54-year-old Charles "Chuck" Emery Sedigas admitted to the killing. 

Sedigas was 20 years old at the time of the crime.

The witness said the day before Burleson was found, Sedigas told them he was going to his grandmother's house. A few hours later, he returned with a large amount of blood on his clothes.

The affidavit said when Sedigas was asked what happened, he replied, "I killed grandma, I stabbed her."

Sedigas threatened the witness that if they told anyone, the same thing would happen to them.

Later, the witness saw Sedigas burning something in a barrel, the affidavit said.

A warrant for Sedigas' arrest was issued on Dec. 13. He was arrested on the same day for murder. 

McNamara said the cold case unit made this case a priority because of the severity of it.

"Most people protect their family, their family members, their grandparents and their parents. When you have someone that brutally murders them, it makes it even worse," McNamara said. 

Sedigas who deputies said also had a criminal history for aggravated sexual assault and possession of methamphetamine is currently McLennan County Jail on a $1 million bond.

This is the second murder the Cold Case unit has solved since its existence.

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