A neighbor has identified a Texas couple found dead over the weekend. Authorities have arrested a man that same neighbor identified as the couple’s son.
San Antonio police said Sunday that Michael Vincent Burger, 20, shot and killed two people who were found outside of what seemed to be his apartment. The police chief said officers found the defendant with an “AR and a shotgun.” The police only vaguely said that the case may have involved family violence, and the police has heretofore not identified the victims.
However, a neighbor in Houston told a local television station there that Noreen and Bill Burger, both long-time career educators, were the ones killed. The couple had adopted the defendant, the neighbor said.
“They sent him to college. I remember around 20 years ago — or so — they were going to adopt him, and they were really excited,” Charlotte Green told KPRC.
“Never, ever would think something like that, ever,” Green said with reference to the killings.
Law&Crime attempted to confirm the victims’ identifies. The police department referred questions to the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday. The ME did not immediately respond.
The Park at Colonnade Apartments is where Michael Vincent Burger (pictured right) allegedly murdered his parents.
Citing information from the Spring Branch Independent School District, KPRC reported that Bill Burger was an assistant principal for the past 11 years; Noreen retired after 25 years.
“Mr. Burger was the guy you could go to if anything was going wrong in your life,” said Ian Stalnaker, an 8th grader at Cornerstone Academy. “You could always talk to him, count on him to be there and make those jokes.”
Green described the couple fondly.
“The nicest people,” she said. “Helpful. Always cheerful when we go to the mailbox.”
The neighbor also described defendant Michael Burger as friendly as well. He did chores in the neighborhood for extra money.
Green suggested Noreen and Bill Burger were in San Antonio to visit their son. The son reportedly went to school there.
“They’re going to be greatly missed,” Green said of the couple. “They were like the bright light in our neighborhood.”
Michael Burger is charged with capital murder of multiple persons, according to Bexar County court records. Bond was set at $500,000. The records do not yet list the name of a defense attorney.
The case is listed as “awaiting indictment.” A no-contact order was also entered the court records indicate.
[Screenshot of the apartment complex via KPRC; booking photo via San Antonio Police Department]
