Bio

Demarco Markeith McCullum was born on October 2, 1974, and later moved to Houston, Texas. As a teenager, he was known as a talented athlete and became the starting quarterback at Aldine High School. Teachers, classmates, and coaches described him as polite, energetic, and popular. He was voted “Mr. Aldine” and earned a football scholarship to Tyler Junior College.

At the time, McCullum appeared to have a promising future. However, prosecutors later connected him to a series of violent robberies and assaults during the summer of 1994. Only weeks after graduating high school, his life shifted from sports success to criminal prosecution.

Murder Story

On the night of July 30, 1994, McCullum and three friends went to Houston’s Montrose district intending to rob someone for money. Prosecutors said they believed gay men would be easy targets and likely carrying cash.

They approached Michael J. Burzinski outside a nightclub, beat him, and forced him into his own car. The group drove him to an ATM and withdrew $400 using his bank card. They then took him to a secluded area in north Harris County.

Burzinski pleaded for his life, but McCullum shot him once in the back of the head. His body was left at the scene, and his car was later burned.

Police soon identified the attackers. McCullum was arrested on August 16, 1994. A jury convicted him of capital murder in 1995 and sentenced him to death. After nearly ten years of appeals, he was executed by lethal injection on November 9, 2004, at the age of 30.