James Burke

"I'm the one with the bomb."

James Burke is a serial bomber (and, at one point, an arsonist) who appeared in Season Ten in Criminal Minds.

Background
Burke was once a member with the Indianapolis school board and a prominent member of the community. However, he was also heavily narcissistic and saw himself as God. In 2014, he was found having a sexual relationship with a high-school student at an ethanol plant. Despite the fact that the relationship was technically legal, as the student was eighteen at the time, he lost his job since he violated his contract. As a result, Burke snapped, seeing this event as a challenge against his purported authority, and swore revenge against Indianapolis. A month after being fired, he started a fire at the ethanol plant where his relationship was exposed. The following year, he set a bomb at Delancy Elementary School to spark panic among the school board. Burke intended to not kill anyone during both incidents; while the arson didn't claim any casualties, the school bombing claimed the life of a custodian working the graveyard shift. The latter incident also attracted the attention of Allen Archer, who decided to emulate it so he could save lives and become a hero.

Modus Operandi
Burke initially targeted locations connected to him before he lost his job. First, he set a fire at the ethanol plant where his sexual relationship with the student was discovered. Then, he planted a homemade bomb made of TNT at Delancy Elementary School and left it to detonate. He started the ethanol plant fire and planted the school bomb at the electrical rooms, presumably to make both incidents appear as accidents.

When his plans to continue attacking Indianapolis locations were sidetracked by Allen Archer's copycat bomb, Burke switched his focus to Archer. During both attempts on Archer's life, he used homemade bombs made from nitroglycerin, which were more deadlier than the TNT bomb used at the school.

Profile
The unsub is a male ego-driven, personal cause bomber, meaning he needs to be the center of attention. It is important that the attempting bombing of Allen Archer be kept confidential; if the unsub sees media headlines that do not belong to him, he will become enraged. He wants the authorities to pay attention to him, even if it means targeting Allen for disrupting his intended message ("Look at me, fear me, I am God"). From the high amount of sophistication demonstrated in the bombings, the unsub is in his 30s to 40s. While TNT is easy to produce at home, nitroglycerin is harder to handle, meaning he is patient and has an eye for detail. He is also controlled, methodical, highly intelligent, and has a desire to witness his handiwork. He could have be seen on traffic cams or eyewitness camera footage of the coffee shop bombing. He might target more public spaces like outdoor malls, farmer's markets, and Monument Circle; the fact that he targeted an elementary school and a popular coffee chain means he wants no one to feel safe. It is inevitable that he will strike again, since a bomber with a God complex feels invulnerable. He should be appeased and communicated with, which is how he will be caught.

It was later realized the unsub was only responsible for the school bombing while the bombing at the coffee shop was committed by Allen. When he realized the bomb at the school killed Morton Truby, it gave him the confidence and urge to kill again, even outdo himself.

Known Victims

 * December 21, 2014: A victimless arson at an ethanol plant
 * 2015:
 * January 27: Morton Truby
 * February 3: The attempted Archer house bombing :
 * Allen Archer
 * Derek Morgan
 * Spencer Reid
 * February 4: The attempted award ceremony bombing :
 * Allen Archer
 * Spencer Reid
 * Jennifer Jareau
 * Aaron Hotchner
 * David Rossi
 * Derek Morgan
 * Kate Callahan
 * Brenda Archer
 * The unnamed mayor
 * Numerous unnamed bystanders and police officers
 * Note: A map owned by Burke can be seen in his room, which shows prominent Indianapolis locations circled, indicating that he planned to target those locations in presumably victimless bombings. The locations were:
 * The Indianapolis city hall
 * Monument Circle
 * The Indiana World War Memorial Plaza
 * The Indianapolis chamber of commerce
 * The Indiana State Museum

Appearances

 * Season Ten
 * Hero Worship