BEDFORD COUNTY, TN - A Murfreesboro woman, arrested by the Andalusia Police Department in Alabama, is set to appear in a Middle Tennessee courtroom next month where she will formerly face a charge of criminal homicide. Nicole Christine Burk, who turns 38 later this month, stands accused of fatally stabbing Ronald Wade Travis in the parking lot of Gateway Church in Shelbyville, TN, on Saturday, June 1, 2024.
Authorities in Bedford County reported that Travis, a 55-year-old Shelbyville resident, was killed in a violent attack, with multiple stab wounds leading to his death. Following the incident, Burk allegedly fled the scene in a small hybrid sedan. Her escape ended early the next morning when she was apprehended by police in Andalusia, Alabama, around midnight on Sunday, June 2. She was taken into custody on a Fugitive from Justice warrant.
Looking Back to the Night of the Stabbing: The search for Burk intensified as her vehicle, a Ford C-Max, was identified in a BOLO (Be On the LookOut) alert that was sent to law enforcement agencies across the southern states. Digital license plate readers (LPR) ultimately played a crucial role in tracking her movements. The car's Tennessee Walking Horse specialty plate was captured by multiple LPRs as it passed through various cities in Florida and ultimately into Alabama. But detectives have not released any further details as to why the woman drove to Florida and then backtracked towards Tennessee by way of Alabama.
The breakthrough in capturing the suspect came when a license plate reader in Covington County, Alabama, which is about 5-hours from Shelbyville, TN, alerted authorities to the vehicle's location on US Hwy 29, headed towards Andalusia. An officer from the Andalusia Police Department spotted the compact sedan, confirmed the license plate number, and initiated a traffic stop.
During the stop, officers discovered that Burk was not alone; her son was also in the car. The child was safely removed from the vehicle, and Burk was arrested and transported to the Covington County Jail. She was held without bond pending her extradition back to Bedford County, TN.
As the case progresses, evidence will be presented to a Bedford County Grand Jury in July, with a possible hearing scheduled for July 31, 2024. Details on the motive for the stabbing remain unclear as the case remains under investigation.
In the meantime, the community remains in shock over this violent incident that occurred in a church parking lot, just one day before their regular Sunday service.
The late Ronald Wade Travis, born in Murfreesboro, is survived by his two children and three siblings.
DISCLAIMER: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The arrest records or information about an arrest that are published or reported on NewsRadio WGNS and www.WGNSradio.com are not an indication of guilt or evidence that an actual crime has been committed.
