74. Edgewater police chief relieved accused killer who dumped bodies here captured

 

Gerry BurkatovskyMichael ShafferDanny EdwardsGerry Burkatovsky, shown in the larger photo, is charged with murder in the 2011 throat-slash slayings of Michael Shaffer and Danny Edwards, whose bodies were dumped in Edgewater, according to law enforcement.

EDGEWATER -- Police Chief Dave Arcieri remembers the bodies like it was yesterday -- two stabbed men with slashed throats found in a remote area of the edge of the city near Interstate 95. It was obvious they were killed elsewhere and discarded here.

Buzzards flying overhead drew the attention of passersby on Opossum Road and the grisly find, which led to Edgewater police response. That was Aug. 22, 2011. Gennadiy "Gerry" Burkatovsky, 36, was being held without bail on Jan. 18, one day after an Orange County grand jury handed up two indictments charging him with tow counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of 46-year-old Michael Shaffer and Danny Edwards, 49.

The grisly details of the dounble murder comes in at No. 74 in Headline Surfer's countdown of the top 100 local stories of 2012.

Arcieri said he was relieved for residents who feared their was a killer on the loose considering the victims lived in nearby Mims just across the Brevard County line.

"The citizens can rest easy," said Arcieri, Edgewater's top cop just shy of a year and an 18-plus year veteran of the force. "I'm happy the families of the victims will have some closure and this individual is being held accountable for killing two human beings."

The circumstances behind the throat-slash slayings is bizarre. Edwards and Schaffer thought they were going to buy new identities, fake passports and a trip to Amsterdam on a private jet, prosecutors told the Orlando Sentinel. The Sentinel reported Wednesday them men paid $15,000 each for fake passports to fly out of Daytona for a flight to Amsterdam. Instead they ended up dead.

Edwards was facing serious time for drug convictions and didn't want to die behind bars and Shaffer was awaiting trial on domestic violence charges, according to the Sentinel story.

Both men thought they were going to be flown out by their accused killer's cocaine-dealer pilot, prosecutors told the Sentinel, adding they were killed either the previous Aug. 18 or 19 in Longwood and their bodies emptied from a trunk in the remote wooded area of Edgewater where the buzzards were circling a few days later.

Top 100 Countdown Recap:

74. Edgewater police chief relieved accused killer who dumped bodies here captured
75. Port Orange man dies in fire; blaze contained to victim's apartment
76. Santa brings toys for tots to NSB via train
77. Ocassional NSB resident Johnny Damon signs with Cleveland Indians
78. NSBHS students of driving age learn importance of organ donation
79. Edgewater man killed after being struck by train while throwing rocks at it
80. County Council breaks bread with Daytona Area Chamber of Commerce
81. Body of 55-year-old DeBary man found in charred remains of home
82. Crossdresser rebuffed in trying to rob Deltona pharmacy of pills
83. Deltona pit bull 'Snoopy' back home
84. Ormond Beach cops: Man driving upwards of 150 mph in Lamborghini killed on US 1
85. NSB cops: Motorist arrested on fourth DUI charge
86. Postal truck becomes engulfed in flames in Edgewater, but mail salvaged
87. New Smyrna Beach Finance Dept. wins national award
88. Sad irony: Elderly man drowns in river named for death
89. NSB Fire Chief Dave McAllister among community award winners by Volusia League of Cities
90. Unlicensed 17-year-old Orange City boy runs over and kills 84-year-old woman in Deltona shopping plaza
91. NSB City Clerk Johnny Bledsoe gets new contract; 20 weeks compensation if canned
92. Votran bus operator drives 2 million miles on Volusia County roads without an accident
93. Jason McGuirk gets Jim Hathaway's seat on NSB commission
94. Holly Hill woman calls in bomb threat at work forcing evacuation of 300; tells cops she was bored
95. Sheriff holds open house in Oak Hill six months after taking over law enforcement duties
96. Audio: Cop pursuit in New Smyrna Beach with speeds clocked at 100 mph-plus ends with stop sticks
97. Ponce Inlet Councilman Joseph Perrone holds onto his seat by one vote
98. Edgewater's Tia McDonald featured in book while visiting Australia
99. Gene Emter wins Edgewater City Council seat by 12-vote margin in special election Link: http://headlinesurfer.com/content/410884-99-gene-emter-wins-edgewater-city-council-seat-12-vote-margin-special-election
100. Chip Ganassi cars finish 1-2 in Rolex at Daytona
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