The head killer smiles as the prosecutors reveal what she did before the father walked in

A Washington state woman, who sometimes smiled in court, has been sentenced to nearly three decades in prison for killing her father, a case prosecutors said was marked by weeks of planning.

Alyssa Bradburn, 33, was sentenced April 2 in Spokane County Superior Court to 340 months in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder with a firearm enhancement in the 2024 slaying of her father, Timothy Bradburn.

The sentence, nearly 28 years, came about a month after jurors returned a guilty verdict.

Prosecutors said Bradburn showed little emotion during the trial, mostly standing still and occasionally smiling. During her testimony, she said she “enjoyed” the trial process but that she deserved the punishment and would accept her sentence.

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“I killed Tim Bradburn, and I’m guilty,” she said with a smile, according to The Spokesman-Review. “I’m not going to be scared anymore. I’m fine with going to jail anyway.”

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According to court documents and testimony cited by prosecutors, Bradburn called 911 on June 25, 2024, and said she had shot her father on his way home from a trip to Hawaii.

She told dispatchers that her body was in the doorway of their northwest Spokane home and that she was waiting for police outside.

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Investigators say Timothy Bradburn was attacked as he walked through the front door with his suitcase and keys.

Bradburn told detectives she believed he shot her three times — twice in the chest and once in the head to make sure she was dead. An autopsy later revealed he had been shot four times.

Prosecutors say the killing was premeditated.

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Bradburn admitted that she began planning to kill her father weeks earlier, practicing with the gun inside the house and getting help loading it at the gun range. He also journaled about his plans the day before the shoot.

“The evidence … demonstrated the extreme and detailed degree of planning,” said Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Emily Sullivan.

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Bradburn initially claimed she was acting in self-defense, accusing her father of abusing her and her dogs, but later retracted those allegations, FOX 28 Spokane reported.

During the sentencing, her brother Trace Bradburn described the devastating impact of the loss.

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“My father was everything to me,” he said.

He also pushed back against earlier allegations, saying they unfairly harmed his father’s memory.

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“The false accusations against him have deeply clouded his memory,” he said, according to FOX 28. “My father was a wonderful man, and he never did anything to hurt anyone.”

“I have to live my life with that … and it gives me courage every day,” he added.

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Prosecutors had asked for a higher sentence, 320 months and a 60-month firearms enhancement, arguing the murder of his own father, combined with the level of planning, made the case particularly troubling.

Bradburn’s defense attorney argued for a lesser sentence, citing her criminal history and lack of mental health issues, saying she sometimes struggles to distinguish between fantasy and reality, the outlet reported.

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Judge Julie McKay ultimately imposed a mid-range sentence of 280 months and a 60-month firearm enhancement, for a total of 340 months.

“Unfortunately, the offense that Ms. Bradburn decided to begin her criminal history with is one of the most significant and serious that we have,” McKay said during the sentencing, according to the outlet.

In addition to prison time, Bradburn will serve 36 months of community custody, must pay restitution related to his father’s death, and is permanently barred from contacting his brother.

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The judge acknowledged the family’s devastation, noting that no amount of punishment could undo the damage.

Bradburn’s legal team declined to comment on the sentence or his change of appearance.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

Original article source: The head killer smiles as the prosecutors reveal what she did before the father walked in