Murder-suicide suspected

LEBANON, Ind. -- A snowplow driver discovered the bodies of a Hamilton County fugitive and the man's wife in a car parked along a rural Boone County road Thursday.\nJames Burress, 48, of Noblesville fled Wednesday with his wife, Stacey Jo Burress, 27, after learning that a jury was preparing to return guilty verdicts on child molestation charges against him, Hamilton County Deputy Prosecutor Jennifer Freeman said. He was ultimately convicted on five counts.\nBoone County Sheriff Dennis Brannon said a snowplow operator found the bodies of the couple about 8:30 a.m. Thursday in Burress' car.\n"The male subject had two handguns laying in his lap," Lt. Mike Beard said. "Initially, it appears to be a murder-suicide from what we've gathered at this point in time."\nBurress was tried in Hamilton Circuit Court this week on six felony charges of molesting a 9-year-old girl. Freeman said the jury foreman sent Judge Judith Proffitt a note saying jurors had reached guilty verdicts on five of the counts but could not agree on the sixth.\nJudges must share communications from jurors with attorneys involved in a trial and usually will confer with the lawyers about a response, Prosecutor Sonia Leerkamp said.\nFreeman said Burress' defense attorney discussed the content of the note with his client.\n"From all indications that we have received, the victim knew he was going to be convicted and was going to do some time over these child molest allegations, and he decided to end his life and took his new wife with him," Beard said.