A Cuyahoga County teen will spend 27 years behind bars for two attempted murders and a string of armed robberies in the Cleveland and Solon areas.
Eddie Burns, 17, pleaded guilty last week to four counts of aggravated robbery, two counts each of attempted murder and receiving stolen property, and one count each of robbery and aggravated burglary. He received his sentence Thursday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
Authorities say the crimes took place during a six-month span between August of 2017 and February of 2018. Burns' targets included a man at an ATM machine, an 87-year-old man inside his home, a local news crew, a cable worker, and an Amazon delivery driver.
However, it was the final incident on Feb. 7, 2018, that led to Burns' capture. According to officials, Burns attacked a 76-year-old woman taking groceries into her Cleveland home and beat her with her walking cane. The woman's 81-year-old husband then came out and shielded his wife from the blow, but Burns then beat him and stomped his head, body, and stomach. Both victims received multiple injuries, and Burns was arrested a short time later.
Originally charged as a juvenile, Burns was later bound over to adult court last October. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O'Malley issued the following statement on Burns' sentence:
"The defendant specifically targeted the elderly and victims who could not fight back. The level of violence he demonstrated is rarely seen in this community. He had numerous opportunities to change his behavior and never did so. Twenty-seven years is a fitting sentence."
