A man has been given the death penalty for killing his own daughter after subjecting her to 22 hours of sexual torture.
Joshua Burgess, 35, strangled 15-year-old Zaria Burgess and cut her throat in August 2019 at his home in Monroe, North Carolina.
Investigators say Burgess strangled his daughter before slitting her throat, although authorities have not yet listed a motive for the killing.
A sheriff statement reported by Channel 9 said: “The defendant in this case, Joshua Burgess, is the essence of evil and stole Zaria from her friends, family, and local community.
“While we know Zaria is forever gone to us, we hope that today's verdict helps to bring some closure to Zaria’s family and friends and we will continue to keep them in our prayers each days.”
Zaria was found dead at her dad's home in August 2019 but, according to the Union County District Attorney’s Office, Burgess slit his daughter's throat after "psychologically and sexually torturing her for 22 hours at his home.
"This was truly an especially heinous, atrocious, and cruel killing of an innocent child.
"This case was emotionally taxing for everyone involved. We continue to grieve with and pray for Zaria’s mother."
Burgess was convicted of first-degree murder and one count of statutory rape, three counts of statutory sex offence, and one count of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
"He received an additional minimum of nearly 76 years in prison for those offences," the DA's office stated.
Sheriff Eddie Cathey said in quotes reported by The Sun: "Every officer and detective involved in this case is feeling the effects of what happened to this child.
“There is no logical answer to explain why this man did what he is accused of doing.”
Burgess handed himself in to police after the crime and told officers where they could find Zaria's body.
Zaria, who lived with her biological mum, was reportedly visiting her dad on the weekend of her death.
