Brenda Bratschi

Case details

Brenda Bratschi was convicted of murder in the 2004 death of Randy Bratschi and was sentenced to life in prison on April 19, 2012. She also was convicted of burying a body without notice or inquiry and received a three-year sentence with credit for time served.

Sandra Bratschi Sanders attended the trial and spoke after sentencing.

Timeline

• Nov. 14, 2002 — Alice Donovan was abducted from the Conway Wal-Mart parking lot by two men who escaped from a Kentucky jail.
• April 3, 2008 — Brenda Bratschi was arrested and charged with 13 counts of forgery.
• Oct. 2004 — A domestic incident between Brenda Bratschi and Randy Bratschi occurred about six weeks before Randy Bratschi disappeared.
• Oct. 2004 (trial references domestic incident) — During sentencing, the court heard that Brenda Bratschi actually confessed to her husband’s murder but claimed it was in self-defense; the confession was suppressed on legal grounds and never heard by the jury.
• October 2004 (case background) — Brenda Bratschi maintained it was Randy Bratschi that attacked her; the state contended it was the other way around.
• Nov. 26, 2004 — Randy Bratschi left his job at Smurfit-Stone Container shortly before 7 a.m. and was never seen or heard from again.
• Dec. 7 (year referenced in pre-trial coverage) — Brenda Bratschi was arrested during a traffic stop and was charged with murder in the death of Randy Delyn Bratschi.
• Dec. 7, 2004 (pre-trial coverage timing) — A bond hearing occurred; Twelfth Circuit Judge Ralph King Anderson Jr. denied bond.
• February 2005 — About 100 volunteers took part in an in-depth, acre-by-acre search of two tracts of land in lower Florence County.
• July 16, 2009 — A body was found underneath a trailer on property associated with Randy Bratschi’s former residence; investigators responded to 2100 N. Old Georgetown Road, Coward.
• July 2009 — The health science and DNA identification process proceeded, and investigators identified the remains as those of Randy Bratschi; Brenda Bratschi was arrested during a traffic stop and charged with murder.
• July 31, 2009 — Further testing efforts and ongoing homicide investigation were described.
• Dec. 7, 2009 — A bond hearing for Frankie Miles occurred; he was released on a personal recognizance bond.
• April 17, 2012 — Testimony in Brenda Bratschi’s murder trial focused on a domestic dispute and included 911 call recordings from both Brenda and Randy Bratschi.
• April 18, 2012 — Defense sought a directed verdict of acquittal, and the judge was to rule on the motion.
• April 19, 2012 — Brenda Bratschi was sentenced to life in prison and also received a three-year sentence for burying a body without notice or inquiry.

Background

Brenda Miles Bratschi was described as 48 years old at conviction and 46 years old in pre-trial coverage, and she was from Coward. She was charged with murder in the 2004 death of Randy Bratschi. Randy Bratschi disappeared in late 2004 and was presumed dead.

Brenda Bratschi had a history of arrest and charges related to forgery after Randy Bratschi’s disappearance, and she had been on bond since October 2004 when she was arrested and charged with assault and battery with intent to kill in connection with the assault of her husband.

Investigators became suspicious after they found Randy Bratschi’s Isuzu Rodeo abandoned at Bluff Landing, off Old River Road in Pamplico, and after searches of his vehicle and his Old Georgetown Road residence yielded no clues to his whereabouts. The case grew cold after the searches.

The offence

Murder of Randy Bratschi (2004)

Randy Bratschi left his job at Smurfit-Stone Container on the morning of Nov. 26, 2004 and was never seen or heard from again. Investigators believed he made it home that morning because his work clothes and lunch containers were found there.

Investigators later found Randy Bratschi’s Isuzu Rodeo abandoned at Bluff Landing, off Old River Road in Pamplico. Witness testimony included that Jerome Eaddy testified he saw Brenda Bratschi, dressed in camouflage, leaving that landing after dark on Nov. 26, and that he gave her a ride from the landing. Brenda Bratschi’s nephew testified he saw Randy Bratschi driving the Isuzu on Nov. 28, while several law enforcement officers and hunters testified that the Isuzu was parked in the same spot from the night of Nov. 26 until it was found.

A body was later discovered underneath a trailer on land associated with Randy Bratschi’s former residence. Marty McDonald testified he stumbled upon Randy Bratschi’s body shortly after the mobile home was moved from its foundation, and he said he was shocked when he discovered a human skull wrapped in a tarp where the mobile home was sitting.

Dr. Kendra Ortega testified that bones sent to her from the Florence County Sheriff’s Office matched that of Randy Bratschi based on DNA matching to blood relatives and children. The court heard that remains were fragile from environmental exposure and that scientists were not able to determine how Randy Bratschi died.

Domestic dispute shortly before disappearance

Testimony focused on a domestic dispute about six weeks before Randy Bratschi disappeared. Brenda Bratschi beat Randy Bratschi with a wooden Ozark tire thumper commonly used by truck drivers to strike the tires on 18-wheelers to check air pressure. Randy Bratschi suffered multiple contusions and severe facial injuries in that attack.

Brenda Bratschi maintained that Randy Bratschi attacked her, and the state contended it was the other way around. The circumstances around the October 2004 incident were at the center of dispute in the case.

911 calls

Recordings of 911 calls were presented to the jury, and the accounts differed.

Brenda Bratschi’s 911 call included the following statements:

• “He hit me,”
• “I ran away and got in my vehicle. I hit him several times. He tried to kill me.”

Randy Bratschi’s 911 call included the following statements:

• “My wife’s trying to kill me,”
• “We were on the way to my work, and she said she had to use the bathroom so I turned around and went home. I was going to the car and she started hitting me with a club. I don’t know what happened. She just hit me and kept hitting me.”
• “If she comes in, I’m gonna kill her. I’m gonna have to help myself,”
• “I’m afraid of her.”

Injury testimony and medical evidence

Dr. Ernest Atkinson testified that injuries were “pretty severe” and that Randy Bratschi had “multiple contusions and pretty severe facial injuries.” Atkinson testified the injuries were not life-threatening but added they very well could have been, including:

• “Looking at the injuries sustained here, these were pretty strong blows,”
• “so if it had the right place, yes, it could have killed him.”

Investigators testified that Brenda Bratschi’s only visible injury was a small laceration on her thumb. Brenda Bratschi was later arrested and charged with assault and battery with intent to kill.

Investigators recovered part of the tire thumper, described as looking like a small baseball bat, outside of Randy Bratschi’s Old Georgetown Road residence the day of the domestic incident. Florence County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Kathleen Streett testified she conducted research on the tool to determine if they often break and that they do and often sling wooden shrapnel when they split. She testified that information led her to believe Brenda Bratschi most likely cut her finger when the tire thumper broke.

Protection order and alleged violations

After her arrest, Brenda Bratschi was prohibited by a family court order of protection from contacting Randy Bratschi, but witnesses testified she violated that order on two separate occasions just days before he disappeared on Nov. 26, 2004. One violation occurred just four days before he disappeared at the home of Susan Hill.

Closing arguments and alleged motive

In closing arguments, 12th Circuit Asst. Solicitor Matt Ozment said Brenda Bratschi attacked Randy Bratschi that day because he was about to discover she’d been withdrawing large amounts of money from his bank account. Ozment said:

• “She was about to get caught spending all the money,”
• “That assault and battery with intent to kill case was her first attempt to kill Randy Bratschi.”

Investigation

Investigators conducted searches after Randy Bratschi disappeared, including searches of his vehicle and his Old Georgetown Road residence, and multiple foot searches for Bratschi. Investigators feared the worst when they discovered his diabetes monitor and blood pressure medication had been left behind.

Investigators feared the worst when they discovered his diabetes monitor and blood pressure medication had been left behind but had little to go on.

The case grew cold and later revived after land purchases and discovery of remains.

Arrest and charges

Arrest related to forgery

After Randy Bratschi’s disappearance, Brenda Bratschi’s widow was arrested April 3, 2008 and charged with 13 counts of forgery. She was accused of taking two checkbooks from a Lake City resident sometime between February and March and using them to spend $5,200.

Brenda Bratschi was arrested again May 21 and charged with forgery-value $5,000 or more. She was accused of cashing checks belonging to someone else without permission at various locations in Florence County.

Arrest related to Randy Bratschi’s murder

Brenda Bratschi was arrested during a traffic stop the morning of Dec. 7 after her arrest following DNA identification efforts, and she was charged with murder in the death of Randy Delyn Bratschi.

A circuit judge denied bond for Brenda Bratschi in connection with the murder charge, and she remained in custody at the Florence County Detention Center in Effingham.

Twelfth Circuit Court Judge Ralph King Anderson Jr. denied bond for Brenda Bratschi during a plea and bond hearing.

Trial

Court and participants

Trial occurred in general sessions court in Florence for the jury conviction, and Circuit Judge Craig Brown presided.

The prosecution was led by 12th Circuit Asst. Solicitor Matt Ozment.

Brenda Bratschi’s attorney was Lee Herron.

The prosecution and defense selected a jury that consisted of nine women and five men.

Directed verdict motion

Defense requested a directed verdict of acquittal. In S.C. criminal trials, the judge considering a motion for a directed verdict decided no reasonable jury could reach a decision to the contrary. If granted, the defendant would be acquitted by the judge and the jury would not decide the case.

Bratschi’s attorney Lee Herron argued Wednesday that the state had not proven its case, describing that:

• “They spent two days talking about the assault and battery with intent to kill case that Brenda Bratschi has yet to go to trial on. This has been a trial within a trial,”
• “The only thing they can establish is it looks bad.”

Evidence described during testimony

Testimony included recordings of 911 calls from Brenda and Randy Bratschi, injury testimony from Dr. Ernest Atkinson, testimony from Investigator Kathleen Streett about her hospital visit and a statement attributed to Randy, and testimony about the prior domestic incident.

Witness testimony about Randy Bratschi’s movements and contacts

Susan Hill testified that she met Randy Bratschi many years earlier when they worked together at Stone Container, that they “hung out in the same group of friends,” and that they became closer after the domestic dispute between him and his wife.

Hill testified that she and Randy Bratschi began dating, that they were only alone together for the first time just a few days before he disappeared, and that Randy Bratschi came to her house the Sunday before he disappeared and encountered Brenda Bratschi on a dirt road near Hill’s house. Hill stated:

• “Brenda was sitting out on my dirt road,”
• “He was a little nervous.”

Hill testified that minutes later Brenda Bratschi called her home and said:

• “Have fun with my husband”

Hill testified that she and Randy Bratschi continued their date, heading out to a local nightclub and also spent time together the following day.

On cross-examination, defense attorney Lee Herron asked Hill questions, including:

• “Did Randy come running inside screaming, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s here. Call the police. She’s going to hurt me’? Did you hear any screaming or raised voices outside?”
• “Isn’t it true that Brenda approached Randy, shined a flashlight in his face and said, ‘Hmm, I wonder how long this has been going on’ then simply turned around and walked away?”

Sentencing

Brenda Bratschi was sentenced by Circuit Judge Craig Brown.

On April 19, 2012, minutes after conviction, the judge sentenced Brenda Bratschi to life in prison for her husband’s murder.

She also was convicted of burying a body without notice or inquiry and received a three-year sentence, with credit for time served on that sentence.

During sentencing, members of the court audience learned Brenda Bratschi actually confessed to her husband’s murder but claimed it was in self-defense; the confession was suppressed on legal grounds and never heard by the jury.

Brenda Bratschi’s family delivered statements to the judge.

After sentencing was announced, Sandra Bratschi Sanders said:

• “It’s indescribable. I couldn’t be happier now that it’s over and we can go on with our lives,”
• “I know Randy’s smiling down at his little sister. The day we got the call that he had disappeared, I promised him I would never give up and I would see this through. And I didn’t give up. Randy can rest in peace now, and so can we.”

Sanders also said:

• “We knew she had confessed, but it couldn’t be used,”
• “That was hard, but we had to have faith in the justice system.”

Two of Brenda Bratschi’s sisters spoke to the judge on her behalf.

Deborah Miles said:

• “Brenda’s guilty of a lot of things – the forgery – she’s cleaned my bank account out more than once,”
• “but Brenda is not a violent person. There is just no way she did this.”

Wanda Matthews said:

• “I’ve never doubted for one minute my sister’s innocence,”
• “Until the day I take my last breath, I’ll believe in her innocence.”

Brenda Bratschi sobbed uncontrollably as her family members spoke, had to sit down as sentencing continued, and indicated through her attorney she could not compose herself enough to address the court.

Appeals

No appeal information was included in the provided case record.

Outcome

Brenda Bratschi was convicted of murder in the 2004 death of Randy Bratschi. She was also convicted of burying a body without notice or inquiry.

She was sentenced to life in prison for the murder and to three years for burying a body without notice or inquiry, with credit for time served.

Other details

People and other related charges

• Frankie Miles was Brenda Bratschi’s son in the testimony described, and he was charged with misprision of a felony in connection with the case. He was 23 years old in pre-trial coverage and refused to testify. He said:
  • “I invoke my Fifth Amendment right. I do not wish to answer any questions,”
  • “Miles refused to testify,”
  • “to all three questions Herron asked him,” with his voice shaking.
• Jerome Eaddy testified that he saw Brenda Bratschi leaving the landing weekend Randy Bratschi disappeared and gave her a ride from the landing.
• Marty McDonald purchased the land where Bratschi’s mobile home sat and discovered the body shortly after the mobile home was moved from its foundation.
• Dr. Kendra Ortega testified as a forensic DNA analyst from the North Texas Health Science Center.
• Mark Ingram and his colleagues were identified as forensic anthropologists who were able to identify remains as those of Randy Bratschi.
• Florence County Coroner M.G. “Bubba” Matthews was mentioned in relation to sending remains for further analysis.

Remains identification and testing

Remains were sent to the Center for Human Identification at the University of North Texas, where forensic anthropologist Mark Ingram and his colleagues were able to identify them as those of Randy Bratschi.

Testimony indicated scientists were not able to determine how Randy Bratschi died due to fragile remains from environmental exposure.

DNA analysis included Dr. Kendra Ortega’s mitochondrial and comparative DNA approach, and it was stated that remains sent to Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston were unsuccessful in earlier tests. Laboratory technicians at the State Law Enforcement Division were unable to extract usable DNA because of decay, so remains were sent to the University of North Texas for mitochondrial DNA analysis.

Other victim link included in the case record

The record also contained information about Alice Donovan:

• Her identity was determined from remains found in January in Horry County as those of Alice Donovan, 44, of Galivants Ferry.
• Alice Donovan was abducted Nov. 14, 2002 from the Conway Wal-Mart parking lot by two men who escaped from a Kentucky jail.
• Those men were identified as 31-year-old Chadrick Evan Fulks and 26-year-old Branden Leon Basham, who were convicted in federal court of murdering Donovan and were awaiting execution.
• It was described that Fulks’ was the first federal death conviction in South Carolina.