A harrowing incident in Atlantic City has led to the arrest of a 22-year-old woman from New Jersey, accused of fatally assaulting another woman with a broom. The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office announced that Ceani Barnes faces charges of first-degree aggravated manslaughter following the death of 34-year-old Christina Burdette.
Burdette was discovered “unresponsive” in a home on Sheridan Avenue during a welfare check on Saturday morning. Sadly, she was declared dead shortly after 10 a.m. The Southern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office has since classified her death as a homicide, attributing it to “complications of multiple blunt force trauma injuries with chronic abuse.”
Details from a probable cause affidavit, reviewed by NJ Advance Media, reveal that Barnes allegedly attacked Burdette with a broom, inflicting severe injuries to her head, ears, and face. Investigators observed attempts to care for Burdette’s wounds, noting efforts to dress them.
Burdette’s family, in a statement to PHL 17, reported that she was found with extensive bruising and her head wrapped in gauze, highlighting the brutal nature of her injuries.
During the investigation, police interviewed two additional individuals present at the home when they arrived. According to their statements, Burdette had arrived at the residence around 2 a.m. on Saturday, already bearing “significant injuries” and with her head bandaged, as detailed in the affidavit.
In addition to Barnes, two others were at the home when the police arrived, and they were both interviewed by authorities. They told officers that Burdette came to the home around 2 a.m. Saturday with “significant injuries to her body and a bandage on her head,” according to the affidavit.
Upon further investigation, authorities determined they were given false information about Burdette’s injuries.
Police said Barnes later admitted that she “smothered and killed” Burdette, per the affidavit. A witness also told investigators that Barnes assaulted Burdette “on multiple occasions” the day before police were called to the home.
It’s unclear what, if any relationship, Barnes had with Burdette.
