Viswa Vanapalli
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Who The (Bleep) Did I Marry: What Happened Off Camera’ delves into the story behind Mark Kandel’s arrest and conviction and how everything changed for his family once the criminal investigation began. Marisa Burke, his then-wife, was a beloved TV anchor who had her world fall apart right in front of her in 2012. So, if you’re wondering how she dealt with everything since then, here’s what we know.
Who is Marisa Burke?
At the time of the incident, Marisa Burke worked as an anchor and producer for WNEP-TV. She lived with Mark and their two daughters in Northeast Pennsylvania. But one day, after Marisa was done with the noon newscast, she received a voicemail from her neighbor about the police and the FBI surrounding her home. Mark had been under investigation for sending lewd texts to teenage boys and was eventually arrested in November 2012.
It wasn’t the first time Mark appeared on the authorities’ radar. In 2008, he was accused of furnishing alcohol to minors at a party. But Marisa supported him through it because she trusted what he told her. Furthermore, Marisa said, “It just seemed like it was a prosecutorial witch hunt . . . that they were fishing for other things and nothing came of it, which solidified my suspicion that they’re going after us because it would be the big trophy on the mantel if they brought him down for something else.”
But about four years later, Mark was arrested by the authorities after several teenage boys and their parents complained about him sending inappropriate texts. Eventually, Mark admitted to sending sexual messages to underage boys as well as boys over 18 through texts and on Facebook. For Marisa, it was a devastating development. She talked of having no idea about any of this but admitted there were some warning signs.
Later, Marisa stated she and Mark weren’t intimate and believed her working nights as an anchor also contributed. According to her, Mark started hitting the gym more often and was always on his phone or laptop. As per Sarah, their daughter, Mark wouldn’t even talk to his daughters or look up to them when they returned from school, staying busy with his phone instead. However, Marisa didn’t question his behavior, saying, “I didn’t want to be one of those wives second-guessing their partner. Being suspicious. I didn’t want to be that person.”
However, once Marisa learned about everything Mark did, something changed. She said, “The day I found out, that was the day I had my epiphany. I looked at him, and I said, ‘So you did this. Knowing full well it was against the law.’ and he said, ‘Yes.’ and then that’s when I shook my hands together, and I said, ‘Well, this is it. You’re on your own.'” In October 2013, Mark was sentenced to serve more than a decade in federal prison for his crimes.
Where is Marisa Burke Today?
Marisa said the ordeal was challenging for their daughters because they idolized their father. But she did her best to help them live a relatively normal life in the aftermath. Marisa divorced Mark in 2014 and received a buyout from WNEP-TV in 2016 after working there for more than three decades. The following year, she received the Broadcaster of the Year award by the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters.
After that, Marisa wrote her memoir titled ‘Just Checking Scores: TV Anchor Publicly Shamed by Husband’s Secret Life’ and eventually published it. Regarding why she wrote the book, she said, “I thought maybe I can help others out there. If they read what I tried to do to survive, and to save my career and to save my family, save my two girls, maybe I can offer some lessons to others.” She currently splits her time between Colorado, where she cares for her elderly mother, and Pennsylvania.
On the professional front, she began her own company, Marisa Burke Communications, offering media and public relations services. She won the Broadcaster of the Year award in 2017, presented by the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters. Then, starting in 2018, Marisa served as the National Media Specialist at Geisinger Health System. Finally, in June 2022, she became the Group Director of News and Content for Waypoint Media. Besides that, Marisa has traveled across the country to promote her book and recently trained aspiring news reporters in Indiana.
Read More: Where is Mark Kandel Now?
