Arizona man who kidnapped Utah teen to be his ‘pet’ charged with human trafficking

Stock image | St. George News

ST. GEORGE – An Arizona man who kept a 17-year-old Utah girl as his “pet” in mid-2017 has been charged in Utah with human trafficking and aggravated kidnapping.

Raymond Burk, of Phoenix, Arizona, booking photo circa 2017 | Photo courtesy of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

The Utah Attorney General’s Office filed the two first-degree changes in 5th District Court Monday against 38-year-old Raymond Burk, of Phoenix. He stands accused of taking a 17-year-old girl from St. George to Phoenix where he beat and sexually assaulted her until she managed to escape a week after her abduction.

According to charging documents, the 17-year-old girl communicated over a social media application that she was “depressed and wanted someone to pick her up.”

Someone who identified himself be a 20-year-old man named “Carter” contacted the girl. They communicated several times and made plans.

“Carter” told the girl that he would “take away her depression and she would be happy with him.” He also said he had a home in Leeds and would have her home in two days after they met. The girl initially lied about being 18 and later told the man she was 17, to which he replied, “Oh, even better.”

Burk arrived at the home where the girl was staying and took her to a bank to withdraw some money before getting on the road. When the girl realized they had been on the road longer than it takes to get to Leeds, she asked Burk where they were going there.

“I lied. I live in Phoenix,” Burk said according court documents. When asked if they’d still be back in two days, Burk allegedly told the girl he was going to keep her as his “pet” indefinitely.

Burk kept the girl against her will in Phoenix over the next week. During this time he sexually assaulted her several times, according to the charging documents, as well as beat her when she said she wanted to go home. She was also made to have sex with Burk’s drug supplier so he could get marijuana.

Burk told (the girl) she was ‘his little pet’ and ‘was keeping her forever,’” the charging documents state.

The girl was finally able to escape used one of Burk’s friend’s phone to post messages to social media.

“Burk learned police were coming and attempted to transport Child Victim again to a different residence,” the charging documents state. “But (she) saw police and was able to report what happened and escape.”

Charges have been filed against Burk in Maricopa County, Arizona, related to the girl’s abduction, according to the charging documents.

Burk is currently being held in an Arizona jail, according to the Associated Press. Records don’t list an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

The Utah Attorney General’s Office is coordinating Burk’s prosecution with Arizona authorities.

First-degree felony-level charges, which Burk faces, have potential terms of five years to life in prison if convicted.

Suspected incidents and tips related to human trafficking can be reported to the Utah Trafficking in Persons Task Force tip at 801-200-3443.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

 

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24 Comments

  • ladybugavenger April 3, 2018 at 5:17 pm

    Castration would make people think twice about this awful stuff. We need to get tougher. Thieves should get fingers chopped off. Sex offenders need to be castrated. We should be able to shoot trespassers and meth and heroin dealers should be given a lethal dose and so on.

    • Striker4 April 3, 2018 at 10:23 pm

      Maybe you would be happier living in another country ….bye

      • comments April 3, 2018 at 11:45 pm

        i dont believe even saudi arabia is that brutal. thats a bit harsh lba; you are far from perfect yourself. your son was heavy into the meth scene, right? isn’t it possible he did a bit of dealing during that time?

        • ladybugavenger April 4, 2018 at 11:59 am

          I tried to have him arrested too lol. And the cops looked at me like I was crazy lol. I tried to stop him from hurting others while obeying our laws-not easy, didn’t work, but he eventually overcame it.

          I’m just saying there’s not enough consequences to deter people. Maybe that’s our “everyone gets an award society”

          Fear of consequences never hurt anyone. Here’s the deal, when you go so soft on criminals, you gotta come back hard,to turn it around.

          Castration isn’t a bad consequence. Perhaps it’s the finger chopping that got your attention.

          • ladybugavenger April 4, 2018 at 12:03 pm

            He dealt meth to a pregnant woman! I suppose he’s lucky he ran away to Vegas and got thrown in jail and went to rehab before I got a hold of him. It was his last chance at life, he’s been clean and sober 3 years and 1 month.

          • comments April 4, 2018 at 12:56 pm

            I just don’t know, LBA, I just don’t know…

          • ladybugavenger April 4, 2018 at 4:14 pm

            It’s alright Bob. I’ve got anger issues.
            I would not want people’s fingers chopped off, or lethal injections, I’m just tired of people stealing….I deal with it everyday.

            There should never be a repeat sex offender but I do know people lie,that’s why we can’t have extreme punishments, like castration. People abuse the system and that could be real bad for the innocents that are found guilty.

            What would you do if you were home and someone broke into your home to steal from you or cause harm? Would,you leave your AR15 locked up in the gun safe?

          • ladybugavenger April 4, 2018 at 4:21 pm

            What would you do if this guy raped your daughter? What emotions would you feel? Would you snap for a moment? Would you be angry? Would you, even if only for a moment, want him dead? Would you want karma and jail justice be done?

            Or would you, being the hypothetical father of this hypothetical daughter, say, well, I’m not perfect so all these thoughts, words, and emotions are too harsh.

          • ladybugavenger April 4, 2018 at 5:12 pm

            Now, what you feel if you were this man’s father. Would you be disgusted? Would you, even for a moment, wish he was dead? Wish he werentt your son?

            Would you feel anything? Or would you cry out, I’m not perfect?

          • comments April 4, 2018 at 6:23 pm

            I am one in fovor of an-eye-for-an-eye type of justice, but the gov’t can’t be trusted w/ the power to doll out this kind of punishment, because there ARE so many liars and connivers. This is the same reason the gov’t can’t be trusted to be the only ones w/ the guns–corruptible, greedy, selfish humans. If I had the hypothetical daughter I might go ahead and castrate the perp myself.

            As far as this particular story. I just saw the alleged victim on the nightly news, and i’m betting there is more to this story. I just have a feeling about it. She didn’t seem quite ‘right’, but time will tell.

          • comments April 4, 2018 at 6:24 pm

            *favor

          • ladybugavenger April 4, 2018 at 6:55 pm

            I agree with you Bob. About the gov’t. thats probably why our society is so soft on criminals. Sometimes it’s like these people have more rights than a victim. We definitely know corrupt gov’t has more rights than law abiding citizens. More money=More rights (even if the right is wrong)

        • mctrialsguy April 4, 2018 at 4:55 pm

          Saudi Arabia is far more brutal than that! We are way too civilized on matters such as this!!

    • redrock4 April 4, 2018 at 4:04 pm

      Instead of finding a hobby, you continue trolling SG News. Pointless.

      • ladybugavenger April 5, 2018 at 5:38 pm

        red rock, I’m sure you know by now and see tat my comment is not pointless. Your comment, on the other hand, doesn’t have a point. What would you do if you were the hypothetical father of this victim? What would you do if you were the hypothetical father of this child lurer and torturer?

        Would you think our system is Just?

  • Foxyheart April 3, 2018 at 5:25 pm

    Sounds like the recent movie “Pet” a disgusting movie about rape and bondage. Nope, didn’t watch much of it.

  • PlanetU April 3, 2018 at 9:56 pm

    Sexual assault? Sounds like rape to me. Call it what it is…..I’m on board with you ladybug.

  • The Dude April 4, 2018 at 8:20 am

    Hole he becomes someone’s “pet” in prison indefinitely.

  • mctrialsguy April 4, 2018 at 4:53 pm

    I’m with ladybugavenger on this one!!

    • ladybugavenger April 5, 2018 at 5:32 pm

      Thanks for,the support mct ?

  • ladybugavenger April 5, 2018 at 6:01 pm

    One more thing Bob, I don’t know what you read about the girl. She could be a complete whore. In different words, is that what you read? The point is, whore or not, you dont torture anyone. It’s not right. I mean, do you torture whores? Of course you don’t. All the porn you’ve watched, I can’t see you torturing anyone and holding them captive. Evil is alive in people’s hearts and until people, let’s say “atheist,” recognize evil exists, demons exist, and take over people’s hearts, they will never believe God exists.

    • comments April 5, 2018 at 7:18 pm

      I guess I always just hold out a little hope that people are better than this. This guy may well be another demon among us or at least let his demons win and become an evil SOB. It’s a sad thing.

    • comments April 5, 2018 at 7:20 pm

      but what does all that porn have to do with it. i don’t get it?

    • comments April 5, 2018 at 8:26 pm

      No, I wouldn’t say she was a whore. I thought it rather odd that she made a TV appearance and public statement in the first place. Usually victims don’t jump into the spotlight like that. Usually they are in a bad enough place mentally that they want privacy and to be left alone. I don’t know what the deal is, but I have a feeling there is more to the story.

      I do know that some people are evil beyond redemption. I don’t know that it’s caused by demonic possession. The guy that threw the 2 teens in the mine shaft was evil. I don’t why what makes them that way. But I do recognize evil. I’m not naive to it.

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