Thrill Killers: A frightening story of real murder

By MERI R. KENNEDY

At approximately 12:45 p.m. on the afternoon of June 9, 2000, Johnston Detective Ray Pingitore had just ordered lunch and received a phone call to report to a crime scene in Johnston. Pingitore, now retired, from the Johnston Police Department, was accustomed to receiving calls to crime scenes, yet that day he responded to a scene that would alter his life. He would witness the result of a truly tragic murder and the prosecution to follow.

By 1 p.m. he arrived on the scene, Button Hole Golf Course, which is in Providence and Johnston. Up until that point the case was being handled by Providence Police but because the bodies of Jason Burgeson and Amy Shute were in Johnston, it was a Johnston case. The couple were found clinging to one another, dead.

Instinctively Pingitore knew something was different with this case. He was the only Johnston detective on duty that day and recalls thinking, “Where do I begin?” All detectives were called back in and the scene was processed by BCI and detectives.

At 2:30 p.m. that day, the medical examiner arrived and only after separating the bodies was it determined that it was purely a case of cold blooded murder and not a murder/suicide. No weapon was found, yet shell casings and tire tracks were in abundance at the scene. Both victims had been shot to death.

Returning to his office around 3:30 p.m., Pingitore and police officials held a briefing at the Johnston Police Station. That evening both bodies were identified and parents were notified.

Upon learning that Jason had his car and it was not found at the crime scene, a BOLO (Be on the lookout) was issued for the vehicle. Within one hour, the car was spotted and the first of five of the suspects was picked up, driving Jason’s vehicle. Greg Floyd was the first to be questioned.

The newscast at 10 p.m. on Fox News first informed the community of the tragedy. 

“What happened next was incredible,” said Pingitore. Harry Burdick called the police station right after the story was aired.  He wanted to report a crime he had witnessed. He came into the station and was quickly considered a suspect and was questioned by detectives who continued to pick apart his and Floyd’s often conflicting stories.

By 3 a.m. Burdick had given up all the names of those involved in the heinous crime and Floyd gave up all the names except for the name of Kenneth Day. Search warrants were issued and within hours, by 10:30 a.m., all five were in custody at the station.

“The murder weapon, a gun, was also found during the searches,” said Pingitore. “It was sitting there in plain sight.”

The crime itself would be solved within 24 hours, yet what followed with the prosecution would take more than four years to resolve and ultimately bring closure to the case.

“Jason Burgeson and Amy Shute, two innocent people in the wrong place at the wrong time, had their lives cut short by a number of bloodthirsty criminals,” said Pingitore. “What started as a random robbery would soon lead to death, and a golf course would be their final resting place.”

Jason and Amy’s story is told in “Thrill Killers,” a true crime book co-authored by seasoned detective Pingitore and seasoned author Paul Lonardo. It is not just a book about the senseless crime, but also about Amy and Jason and who they were before their young lives were taken.

Just released, the book recalls the horror of that fateful morning of June 9, while Amy and Jason were out enjoying their evening, as so many college students do. At the same time, Greg Floyd, Sammy Sanchez, Harry Burdick, Ray Anderson and Kenneth Day combed the streets of Providence looking to rob someone. They picked the young couple.

Floyd and Burdick placed the couple in Jason’s own Ford Explorer and drove off. They were followed in another car by the remaining three and taken to the Button Hole Golf Course, where after discussion took place about raping Amy, Day demanded that Floyd kill the two because they could be identified by the victims.

The five divided up their spoils, $18 and took Jason’s car and drove to a gas station where they used the stolen money to put gas in their car. 

According to both Pingitore and Lonardo, in the aftermath of the brutal double homicide, friends and families of the victims began to ask why. Among the many answers that investigators uncovered, this was one that was never fully resolved to any degree of satisfaction. Some experts believe that, in certain instances, killing becomes a team sport with the only reward being peer approval. These offenders are sometimes called thrill killers because their violent acts seem to occur in the complete absence of any other motivation.

“It could happen in the dead of night or broad daylight. It could occur while traveling or right in your own backyard. It could happen at any given moment, any day, anywhere. It is called ‘thrill killing.’ The crime is motivated by nothing more than the sheer excitement of murder and mayhem,” said Lonardo.

“Prior to putting a word on paper, Paul and I received permission from the families or we wouldn’t have written the book. I know that this book will bring up some anxiety for the family,” said Pingitore, “but I still believe that there is a message in it that maybe will help young people be more aware of their surroundings.”

“It was daunting for me, for sure. I did not want to add any further pain, especially to the families, or open up old wounds, which certainly will never completely heal. Fortunately, they all had a great relationship with Ray, and trusted him,” said Lonardo. “They carried that over to me, and that made it a lot easier for me. It was not easy for them either, of course, and the last thing I wanted to do was pressure them for information they may not have been willing to divulge,” he said.

Lonardo, who has published previous true crime novels, said, “It took some time, but they eventually realized what we were trying to accomplish, and wanted the same thing. Had they not been so accommodating, this book probably would not have been written.”

“The people of this state were up in arms. Knowing that it was such a random act of violence and now calling for their elected officials to do what Rhode Islanders voted against in years gone by, they wanted these killers executed,” said Lonardo.

Typically, local prosecutors would handle such a case. However, because Rhode Island was one of only a dozen states that did not have the death penalty, the Shute and the Burgeson families waged a vigorous campaign to have the case prosecuted by the United States Attorneys under the federal carjacking statute, which provides a capital punishment penalty if the crime of carjacking results in bodily injury or death.

“Floyd, Burdick and Anderson gave confessions and Sanchez did not,” said Pingitore. “We showed them all that we had overwhelming evidence that if presented to a jury could possibly result in them getting the death penalty. Floyd, Burdick and Sanchez plead out and are serving life with out parole in various federal prisons,” he said.

“Anderson agreed to cooperate and testify against Day, which resulted in him receiving 25 years in federal prison. Kenneth Day fought the charge, saying that he was present but had nothing to do with the murder. Day proceeded to trial and halfway into the case the federal judge threw the case out, saying that the government did not show that Kenneth Day had intent to murder the victims,” said Pingitore.

After Day’s federal charge was thrown out, the State of Rhode Island formally charged Day with murdering Jason and Amy. He was convicted and is serving a life sentence in the ACI.

Both Pingitore and Lonardo wanted not only to tell the story of Amy and Jason, but also to rediscover them both and make the story about them.

They wanted to show how they affected people, family and friends when they were alive and not be remembered simply for being the victims of a heinous murder.

Through the notes and recollection of a seasoned detective combined with the writing talent of an accomplished author, “Thrill Killers” has served as closure to some extent for Pingitore.

“Thrill Killers” is available at Amazon, www.amazon.com, and Barnes & Nobel, www.barnesandnoble.com, as well as local bookstores. Both Pingitore and Lonardo have set up several book signings, including: Oct. 20 at Barrington Books from 2 to 5 p.m.; Nov. 10 at Border’s in Swansea Mall from 1 to 5 p.m.; and Nov. 16 at Border’s at Providence Place Mall from 7:30 to 10 p.m.