A Spokane woman smiled in court as she was sentenced to 28 years in prison for the 2024 killing of her father, Timothy Bradburn.
Alyssa Bradburn, 33, was found guilty of first-degree murder with a firearm enhancement and sentenced on Apr. 2 in Spokane County Superior Court. Prosecutors said she had planned the killing for weeks and wrote about it in a journal before the shooting.
Court records and reporting say Bradburn called 911 after the shooting and told dispatchers she had killed her father at their home in northwest Spokane. She said she would wait outside for the police, and officers later found Timothy Bradburn dead in the entryway, according to People.
Investigators said Timothy Bradburn had just returned from Hawaii and was carrying his suitcase and keys when he was shot. Reports say Bradburn fired three times, although the autopsy later found that he had been shot four times.
Prosecutors also said Bradburn began planning the killing about three weeks earlier and started journaling about it four days before the shooting. They said she practiced with the gun before the attack and later told the court, "I killed Tim Bradburn, and I am guilty," Yahoo News reported.
During trial, Bradburn at times smiled and said she was not afraid of prison. The Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said she told the court she enjoyed the trial but believed she deserved punishment and would accept her sentence.
The defense argued that Bradburn had mental health problems and had experienced trauma. She also initially claimed her father had abused her and her dogs, but later withdrew those accusations, according to reporting on the case.
Judge Julie McKay imposed 280 months for the murder and a 60-month firearm enhancement, for a total of 340 months, or 28 years and four months. The court also ordered no contact with her brother, Trace Bradburn, and required community custody after release, as per KHQ.
