Priscilla Bradford

Case details

Priscilla Bradford (1944– ) was an American murderer who, along with two friends, plotted and carried out the bludgeoning death of her husband, John Young Bradford.

Timeline

• March 28, 1980 — John Young Bradford was ambushed at home and attacked by Priscilla Bradford and others with a cast-iron frying pan, apothecary jars, and a cast-iron bottle capper; Eden Bradford was summoned to assist and struck him with what was left of the frying pan several more times.
• August 4, 1980 — Priscilla Bradford was sentenced to life in prison.
• July 20, 2007 — Priscilla Bradford died in prison.

Background

Priscilla Bradford was the widow of John Young Bradford and the mother-in-law of his previous family line. She claimed she had been a battered wife during their 3 1/2-year marriage.

On or around the day of his death, John Young Bradford filed divorce papers.

Bradford had previously been poisoned with an exceedingly large dose of methamphetamine placed in his morning orange juice prepared by Priscilla Bradford. He had also recently been attacked in his office by an unknown assailant. Bradford became convinced that his wife was trying to murder him but continued to live with her.

Bradford reportedly told friends and acquaintances that he was a battered husband and that “they” were trying to kill him. He also changed his will twice in the past few years, most recently at a car rental agency in Orlando.

The offence

On March 28, 1980, Priscilla Bradford, Joyce Cummings, and Janice Gould attacked John Young Bradford at home with whatever was handy, including a cast-iron frying pan, apothecary jars, and a cast-iron bottle capper. The attack continued for fifteen minutes with a variety of instruments including a cast iron skillet and a heavy metal bottle capping gadget, but Bradford was still alive.

Priscilla Bradford’s daughter, Eden, was summoned to assist. Eden was ordered to finish him off and took what was left of the frying pan and hit her father several more times.

A confessional account attributed to Priscilla Bradford included her claim that “I, really, you know, thought, okay, it wouldn’t faze me or anything, so I took the bottle capper and hit him a couple of times, just to keep him down.”

Eden gave a verbatim account describing what she saw, stating:

“I saw him lying there. He was trying to breathe. It was a mess … it sounded like he was trying to say something. He was probably just gurgling. He was drowning in his blood and he started to move his hand and, well, my mother had the frying pan, which had the bottom broken out .. She was hitting him with that.”

Eden also included a verbatim instruction from Priscilla Bradford:

“Keep hitting him – anywhere!”

Investigation

An autopsy report showed John Young Bradford was beaten over the head with a skillet and a heavy metal kitchen device used to recap bottles. Police refused to say whether one or both weapons dealt the fatal blows.

Police initially said only Mrs. Bradford and her 14-year-old daughter, Eden, were home at the time of the killing. Later, police said the two employees were also in the house.

Jake Miller, acting Melbourne police chief, refused to detail what authorities believed led to the slaying and charges or what they believed happened at the Bradford home. Miller stated:

“It would appear that it was a combination of things, one of which a domestic situation that deteriorated over the years,”

Officials at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne said Priscilla Bradford was treated for injuries that appeared to be from a beating the night her husband was killed. Miller said her claim of being beaten was “still being explored.”

Neighbor Ruth Means said police were called to the house several times during domestic squabbles over the past few months.

Priscilla Bradford told the newspaper TODAY in Cocoa the day after her husband was killed, stating:

“I was fighting for my life. That’s all I can say,”

Police were reluctant to discuss a motive or exactly what role they believed the four women, who were arrested Thursday, played in the March 28 death of Dr. John Young Bradford.

Arrest and charges

Authorities filed first-degree murder charges against the widow, mother-in-law, and two female employees of an optometrist who was beaten to death in his home with a skillet and another kitchen utensil [a bottle-capper].

At a hearing Friday, Priscilla Bradford, Joyce Cummings, 18, of Palm Bay, and Janice Gould, 34, Melbourne, were ordered held without bond. Cummings and Gould were lab technicians at United Optical Laboratories, owned by the Bradfords.

Priscilla Bradford’s mother, Mildred Hadley, 69, of Melbourne Beach, was released on $20,000 bond. Police said the mother-in-law was not present during the slaying.

Priscilla Bradford had showed up at the police station on March 27, the day before his death, with her face black and blue to file a complaint against him. An officer stated:

“She had been beaten all to hell,”

Priscilla Bradford’s mother-in-law and other details were linked to the domestic situation described by police statements and witness accounts, including the claim that “they” were trying to kill him.

Trial and sentencing

Priscilla Bradford, Joyce Cummings, and Janice Gould were sentenced to prison for life in August 1980. Priscilla Bradford was sentenced to life in prison on August 4, 1980.

Joyce Cummings stated the motive as:

“All we wanted was an all female lab.”

Three brief trials were ordered, and each of the women was sentenced to life in prison.

Other participants and witness arrangements

Eden was given immunity as a witness for the state and was ordered to finish John Young Bradford off during the attack.