Jared Taylor, founder and editor of American Renaissance, said the suspect in the Momence bar owner killing served less than half of a 37-year sentence for two felony murders committed at age 15 and went on to commit additional crimes, highlighting recidivism concerns in Illinois.
“Julius Burkes walks into Courtney Drysdale’s Illinois business at 11:00 a.m. and demands the money in the till. She hands it over. He shoots and kills her anyway,” said Taylor. “30-year-old mother will be out of the news tomorrow. This happens over and over and over. The 47-year-old killer was convicted on two murder counts at age 15 and sentenced to 37 years. Released after less than half time served. Has committed many felonies since.”
According to Taylor’s post on X, he linked to a WGN-TV report detailing Burkes’ criminal history. After his early release from prison, Burkes faced charges including failure to register as a sex offender, battery, and residential entry before the recent crime.
In McHenry County, Illinois, the implementation of the SAFE-T Act has led to a significant increase in crimes committed by individuals on pre-trial release compared to when cash bail was still in place. The act also resulted in higher rates of failures to appear in court and reduced victim restitution.
WGNTV reported that Illinois’ last recorded recidivism rate showed 37% of released inmates re-offending within three years as of 2022. However, updates have been hindered by programming issues within the Department of Corrections. This lack of updated data complicates efforts to manage repeat offenders amid ongoing sentencing reforms.
A study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that half of those released from Illinois prisons were arrested again within 18-20 months post-release, with one-third being re-incarcerated. Individuals with more prior arrests had higher rates of re-offense.
Taylor’s background includes being born in Japan to missionary parents and graduating from Yale University with a degree in philosophy. He also earned a master’s degree in international economics from Sciences Po in Paris and founded the New Century Foundation in 1990.
