In the early morning hours of May 2, 2022, a frantic call to Tulsa police set in motion a tragic story of domestic violence that would end a decades-long marriage. Sandra Bradley, a 75-year-old woman, was found shot to death in her home. Her husband, Charles Bradley, was the one who made the call, initially telling dispatchers he thought he might have killed his wife.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Sandra Bradley with two gunshot wounds.
Charles Bradley, a 76-year-old Vietnam veteran, was taken into custody and arrested for first-degree murder. In the ensuing investigation and trial, a chilling narrative unfolded. Prosecutors argued that the murder was a deliberate act, spurred by jealousy over a trip Sandra had recently taken with her boss. They pointed to inconsistencies in Charles Bradley's account of the events as evidence of his guilt.
Charles Bradley's defense painted a starkly different picture. His attorneys claimed he was suffering from a PTSD-induced nightmare stemming from his time in the Vietnam War and that he was sleepwalking when he shot his wife, whom he mistook for an enemy combatant. He maintained that he was devastated by her death and had no intention of harming her.
Despite his claims, a jury found Charles Bradley guilty of first-degree murder. A Tulsa County judge, calling the act a 'cold-blooded murder,' sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The tragic case left Sandra's family to grapple with the loss of their mother, whom they described as a vibrant and loving woman.
