Highland Lakes homicide: Sheriff ‘confident’ correct suspect is in custody

Two days after mother of two Constance Leigh Woolweaver, 37, was found dead in her Highland Lakes home, Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego said they are “confident” the right suspect is in custody.

“We feel confident we have the person that committed this crime in custody,” Samaniego told reporters at a press conference on Dec. 16. The Sheriff’s Office obtained warrants earlier this morning for the arrest of 37-year-old Chelsea resident Adam Michael Burrus, charging him with murder and setting his bond at $500,000.

Burrus was identified as a person of interest on Thursday, Dec. 15, the day following Woolweaver’s death, and willingly came to the Sheriff’s Office for an interview around 9:30 a.m.

“During that interview, probable cause was reached to procure warrants for this individual’s home, business and vehicle,” Samaniego said. “After those searches were completed, the individual was charged with murder around 8:30 p.m. last night [Dec. 15] and booked into the Shelby County Jail.”

A 9 mm gun was found as a result of one of the search warrants, Samaniego said, and Samaniego confirmed Woolweaver was shot multiple times.

Samaniego said anyone with an “ongoing relationship” with Woolweaver was looked at. Woolweaver and Burrus had a years-long friendship and business relationship.

Burrus was initially cooperative during the interview with investigators, Samaniego said, but “when he saw the interview going in a direction that didn’t favor him, he invoked his rights, and we respected that.”

Samaniego siad that Woolweaver was found in the stairway leading to the basement of the house, which is “not far” from the entrance to the home. When asked if Woolweaver had injuries other than the gunshot wounds, Samaniego said that would be determined following an autopsy.

“It appears it [the shooting] was just an immediate action upon entering the house,” he said.

The crime was described as a “crime of passion” and “calculated” act, Samaniego said, adding that he couldn’t say if it was premeditated.

“If we had evidence to that effect, the individual probably would have been charged with capital murder,” he said. “At this point, it seems to be possibly a crime of passion.”

Investigators were very thorough when going over the crime scene, Samaniego said, and the next step is to obtain warrants for Burrus’s technology and to conduct tests on the evidence that was obtained during the search. While money, including the possibility that Woolweaver had loaned Burrus money, has been discussed as a potential reason for the crime, Samaniego said he could not confirm that.

“There was hearsay of that, and we’re still exploring,” he said. “This investigation is not over. We’re continuing it to see if any motive can be established that’s more concrete than what we have now.”

Samaniego also confirmed that both of Woolweaver’s children, including her 13-year-old son who found her after getting home from school, are with relatives at this time.