Man found not criminally responsible for 2021 murder of brother, two others in Ellicott City

BALTIMORE -- A Maryland man was found not criminally responsible in the deaths of his pharmacist brother and his wife in Ellicott City in 2021.

In a plea agreement, Jeffrey Burnham was sentenced to an indefinite confinement in a Maryland inpatient psychiatric facility.

The 48-year-old from Cumberland, Maryland pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder as part of the not criminally responsible plea deal.

In 2022, a Howard County judge found Burnham incompetent to stand trial.

He was charged with murdering his brother, Brian Robinette, 58, and his wife, Kelly Robinette, 57, at their Ellicott City home on Sept. 30, 2021.

Both victims had been found with gunshot wounds. Howard County Police Department tactical officers found multiple spent .40 caliber shell casings throughout the residence.

  Prior to the double shooting, Burnham allegedly killed family friend, 83-year-old Rebecca Reynolds, in a Cumberland home.

Burnham's mother, Evelyn, told authorities that Jeffrey wanted to confront his pharmacist brother about the COVID-19 vaccine, believing the government was using the shot to poison people.

During the two-day killing spree, a tipster contacted Maryland State Police and said Burnham appeared at their house in a red Corvette around 4:45 p.m. on Sept. 30, 2021, asking for gas money. 

Burnham told the person they would see him on TV and said his brother was "killing people with the COVID shot."

Authorities finally found and arrested him in West Virginia.

Howard County Judge Lenore Gelman's finding on Burnham's mental health was based on a very lengthy opinion/assessment by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, a Howard County official said.