By: Richard L. Smith
A Palmyra man will spend the next 21 years in state prison for the shooting death of his girlfriend outside a township car wash three years ago.
Antonio Burke, 38, was sentenced on October 10 in Superior Court in Mercer County after pleading guilty last month to first-degree aggravated manslaughter. Judge Amber J. Gibbs handed down the prison term.
The case dates back to April 18, 2022, when officers were called to the Hot Wet & Wax car wash on Filmore Avenue around 10:45 p.m. Police found 28-year-old Alicia Stilley of Cinnaminson on the ground near her vehicle, bleeding and unresponsive.
An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood determined that Stilley died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Burke fled New Jersey after the killing but was tracked down and arrested a week later at a residence in Dallas, Texas.
According to information released by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation was carried out by both the Prosecutor’s Office and the Palmyra Police Department.