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Zachary Burkard, now 20, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after admitted to shooting South County High School classmates Ersheen Elaiaiser, 17, and Calvin Van Pelt, 16, in April 2021, according to multiple reports.
He received 10 years each for voluntary manslaughter for the deaths of the teens. When he is released, Burkard will face an additional three years of post-release supervision.
Burkard, who was 18 at the time of the murders, was found guilty of manslaughter, which led to some of his victims’ relatives collapsing in shock that he only received 20 years, not a potential life sentence for murder, according to an NBC Washington report.
Multiple reports say that on the afternoon of Sunday, April 25, 2021, Fairfax County Police investigators were called to the 8000 block of Winding Way Court in Springfield, where one of the teens was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside a garage.
A second teen was found in front of the home with a gunshot wound that he later died from.
According to reports, Burkhard opened fire on the teens following an alleged incident involving his friend who was beat up. He claimed that he fired in self-defense fearing that the alleged assailants were armed.
He reportedly admitted at trial to dealing drugs, and the jury was shown a video of threats made by Burkard, which included a racially-charged epithet in a social media video that was released the day before the fatal shootings.
“This is a tragic case in which there are no winners,” Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said in a statement Thursday. “I hope that with the case finally over, and Burkard receiving the maximum sentence, the victims’ families and friends can begin the process of healing.”
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