No connection between Mooresville homicide and spree killer, police say

MOORESVILLE, NC (WBTV) - Police say there is no connection between an unsolved homicide in Mooresville and the spree killer who recently murdered five people in less than a week in Cherokee County, SC.

Patrick Burris was shot and killed by Gaston County Police officers during a shootout on July 6th.  Authorities in South Carolina still haven't been able to determine why Burris killed his victims.

Following news of Burris' death last week, investigators with the Mooresville Police Department started looking into whether he might be responsible for a high-profile unsolved murder in their town.

Matthew Stewart, 31, was shot and killed inside his Mooresville home on June 9.  Stewart's wife, Angela, told police a masked gunman stormed into their bedroom and opened fire.  He killed Stewart and she was injured in the arm.  She managed to escape from the home.  Two of the couple's children were home at the time but they were not injured.  Angela Stewart was unable to give police a specific description of the man, but she described him as being tall.

Burris was reportedly over 6 feet, 5 inches tall and police said he was known to have passed through Mooresville.

On Monday, Mooresville Police Chief Carl Robbins told WBTV there was no connection between Stewart's murder and the multiple killings in Gaffney.

When asked about the ballistic results of the gun Burris used to kill his victims and the weapon used to murder Stewart, Robbins said he could not comment without compromising the investigation.

He did say that authorities have looked at the obvious evidence in both cases and there is no connection.

Robbins said investigators continue to speak to the SC Law Enforcement Division (SLED), but they cannot connect the cases at this time.