Court papers say Shiloh man stabbed to death

SHILOH, Tenn. — Neighbors say the body of Sidney Lane Burks was found inside his mobile home on the morning of May 5.

“We began investigating the death of Sidney Burks on May 5. That was a day after authorities in Hardin County at the sheriff’s department found the body of the 55-year-old in his Pratt Lane home,” TBI Spokesperson Josh Devine said.

The TBI could not provide details into how Burks was killed. However, an indictment from the Hardin County grand jury says he was stabbed to death.

Officials have charged Terry Bradford Whitaker with first-degree murder, but those who live in the area say the two were not strangers and didn’t know why the men would have any sort of disagreement. The indictment says Whitaker intentionally stabbed the victim.

“We collected evidence, we conducted interviews, we pieced together the set of events as we understood them, and lo and behold, that information was presented to the grand jury in Hardin County,” Devine said.

TBI agents say Whitaker was booked into the Hardin County Jail on a $250,000 bond. He is set to appear before a judge again Sept. 1 in Hardin County Circuit Court.