A three-day trial ends in a guilty verdict for a 26-year-old man accused of raping a five-year-old boy. Brian Jeffrey Burke Jr. was charged with sexual assault of a five-year-old in August 2021. Burke Jr. was not eligible for parole while awaiting trial.

Burke Jr.’s guilty verdict for aggravated child rape is a historical conviction in Rutherford County. Burke Jr. is the first person in Rutherford County to be convicted of aggravated rape of a child under an amended Tennessee State law with the tougher penalty.

Following a three-day trial, the jury retired to the jury room to begin deliberating. About 15 minutes later, the jury had a guilty verdict.

Rutherford County Circuit Court Judge James A. Turner handed down the mandatory life sentence without eligibility for parole.

Brian Jeffrey Burke Jr. is awaiting transfer to the custody of the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC).