Desmond Deon Burt is charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of 62-year-old Cynthia Delane Burt and Desmond Deon Burt Jr. The warrants were issued Tuesday at Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff. The suspect was taken into custody shortly after the victims were discovered and remained in Birmingham City Jail, while investigators received warrants against him. Authorities said the blunt force injury sustained the death of the woman and her grandson. “We believed they were dying at the same time or at close range,” said interim police chief Scott Thermond. Birmingham police were dispatched to Cynthia Burt’s home at 4909 Hillman Drive after a welfare check at 5:12 p.m. of Sunday. When officers arrived, they were met by anxious family members, the sergeant said. Rod Moldin. The suspect, Thermond said, was among the family members gathered outside the house when police arrived. The other members of the family did not appear to be aware of Desmond Burt Sr.’s alleged involvement. Birmingham police and fire and rescue services were forced into the home. Inside they discovered Cynthia Burt and Desmond Jr. who did not respond to a back room. Both were found dead on stage at 6:38 p.m. “The injuries he suffered are what we believe to be consistent with a homicide,” Mauldin said. Thermond said the family had had no contact with the victims since Friday. It was not immediately clear how long they were dead when they were found. The chief confirmed that the suspect had recently undergone surgery, but gave no further details. “He was kind of cooperative,” Thermond said. “He gave us a statement.” A woman and her young grandchild were found dead in a southwestern home in Birmingham on Sunday, April 3, 2022. (Carol Robinson) “It’s very difficult for the family,” Thermond said. “They have lost two members of their family and have another family member now charged with murder.” For officers and investigators, he said, “It’s a permanent impression that you can not get out of your mind. These are things that stay with you for the rest of your life and many times it is very difficult to deal with them “. In such situations – especially in this case – the police department has a peer support team that will talk to police and investigators to help them deal with the situation, Thermond said. Neighbors said Desmond Jr., who lived with his mother in Wylam, was frequently visited by his grandmother by his father, who was a retired nurse. “She loved her grandchildren,” said James McCarthy. “He would do anything for them, everything to protect them.” McCarthy said he had been Cynthia Burt’s neighbor only since September, but said he was very impressed. “He was a very sweet man,” he said. “It made this neighborhood feel like home.” “It is very difficult for this to happen in her neighborhood and that of her grandson,” she said. “He is a person who will never be forgotten in this neighborhood.” Desmond Burt Jr. (GoFundMe) A GoFundMe for the Desmond Jr. Family described the boy as a “pure, precious sole”. “He was full of innocence, joy and much loved by his family,” wrote Taylor Sainz, a friend and colleague of Desmond’s grandmother Lou Kennedy. “The injuries he suffered are what we believe to be consistent with a homicide,” Mauldin said. Sides said it has launched a fundraising campaign to help reduce the financial burden of burial and memorial services. He also asked for thoughts and prayers. “He was picked up very early by his family,” Sides wrote. “This is an unthinkable situation that no individual / family should ever go through.” Desmond Burt Sr. will be held without bail at Jefferson County Jail.
