HORACE LANGFORD, JR. / PVT Jeffrey Gordon Burke, who is being charged with the murder of Rene Hatch, enters Pahrump Justice Court last Friday for his preliminary hearing. A pre-trial date was set for early May after Burke was released on his own recognizance. HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Visitors to the courtroom during Burke's brief appearance Friday morning were clearly concerned about the case. Advertisement

Jeffrey Gordon Burke, of Pahrump, was released on his own recognizance last Friday in Pahrump Justice Court.

Burke is charged with the murder of Rene Hatch, his girlfriend, who was found dead in her residence Feb. 3.

Due to the case's heavy reliance on scientific evidence, a pre-trial date of May 2 for Burke was set by the court.

A pre-trial date is essentially a final chance for the state and defense attorneys to negotiate a plea. If a plea is not reached, the case usually goes forward to a jury trial.

"Basically this case is going to be involving ... scientific evidence, DNA, and (the D.A.'s office) haven't got their labs back," explained Jason Ernest, Burke's defense attorney.

Burke's own recognizance release is under specific conditions and was a stipulation of the continuance.

Ernest made it clear that Burke understood the gravity of the charges he was facing and would not take his release lightly.

"I talked to my client when he was in custody yesterday when this was negotiated, and I advised him that there are certain restrictions that he does have," Ernest told the court. "He has to abide by the law, with the exception of minor traffic offences, and stay out of trouble."

After Hatch's body was discovered, Burke left Pahrump and the Nye County Sheriff's Office (NCSO) issued a public alert including his photo stating he was wanted for questioning in the murder.

Burke was located and arrested for murder by the NCSO on Feb. 8.

He is being charged with murder with the use of a deadly weapon, listed in the criminal complaint as a "sharp object used for making an incision and/or cutting or stabbing, and/or otherwise causing blunt force trauma to the victim's head or neck resulting in her death."

Overall, few details have been released regarding Hatch's death.