In the predawn hours of September 22, 2017, the life of 20-year-old Brady Tumlinson, a White Caucasian male, was cut tragically short in what appeared to be a premeditated and violent home invasion. Inside his Davenport, Iowa, home, Tumlinson and his girlfriend were asleep when a group of individuals forcibly entered their residence. The intruders kicked in the door and immediately opened fire into the couple's bedroom.
Tumlinson, in an act of self-defense, managed to return fire with a handgun he kept by his bed, striking one of the assailants before succumbing to multiple gunshot wounds. His girlfriend was also severely injured in the attack but survived.
The ensuing investigation unraveled a plot involving five individuals who had conspired to rob Tumlinson. The suspects were identified as Tristin Antonio Joseph Alderman, Nakita Ronschel Wiseman Jr., Dmarithe Q. Culbreath, Darrell Williams Jr., and Christopher Dixon. It was revealed that Alderman, once a friend of Tumlinson, had been in frequent contact with him in the weeks leading up to the murder, though Tumlinson had rarely replied. On the night of the incident, the five men drove to Tumlinson's neighborhood in two separate vehicles and approached the house on foot.
Justice for Brady Tumlinson came through a series of arrests and court proceedings. Tristin Alderman and D'marithe Culbreath were ultimately convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Culbreath had inadvertently aided investigators when he sought treatment at a local hospital for a gunshot wound to the head, an injury he sustained when Tumlinson fired back at his attackers. Nakita Wiseman Jr. accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to burglary and robbery, and agreed to testify against his co-conspirators. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Darrell Williams Jr. also took a plea deal, pleading guilty to burglary. The final suspect, Christopher Dixon, was found guilty of first-degree murder, robbery, and conspiracy and was also sentenced to life in prison. The investigation determined that the motive for the deadly home invasion was robbery.
