Transcripts For MSNBCW Dateline 20200711

I was told unless they can find the proverbial smoking gun, they will not take this case to trial. This case did not have a lot. Blow off the dust, fan the ashes and even an ice cold case can heat up again. When i read the file, my response was oh, my gosh, how is this guy Walking Around . How is he not in custody . Some worried answering that question could cost this d. A. His life. They tell me that he is making plans to murder you and your family. He killed once. Would he kill again . When will he stop being dangerous to you . When hes dead. Hello and welcome to dateline. Joan lockwood was planning to move when a murder ruined her plans. An ominous killer was still out there lurking and leaving joans Family Living in fear. But they werent the only ones whose lives might be in danger. Here is Keith Morrison with the threat. Tucked away in the corner of this cemetery is the final resting place of a woman called joan, barbara Joan Lockwood. She wasnt a famous woman, joan, wasnt rich or celebrated. She lived a quiet life in a quiet place and was buried here more than three decades ago. But oh, if ghosts could rise from their graves, if joan could speech to us now, what questions could she answer . What vision for this man, this tough, aggressive prosecutor who now fears for his life . This man is a threat to me. Hes a threat more importantly to my family. Some cases refuse to lie down and die. Here we are now. Joe lived when she lived a thousand miles south of that cemetery a few miles from the beach in l. A. In a suburb called torrence on a quiet street named sharon lane. Tlgs there was joan, her husband, and their four children. People would describe her as the most caring person they ever met. My mom left her kids. We were first and foremost her what was important to her. The whole neighborhood knew that. The neighbors loved my mom and will flat out say we didnt even know your dad. Maybe that was at least partly because of Bill Bradfords job. Bill worked as an Aerospace Engineer, very high security, top secret clearance, with a Company Called trw. And liftoff. Trw back in the 80s was an aero defense firm. So his reputation at work, did you know much about that . I knew he was good at what he did. But he was always very secretive about it. You just dont talk about it. Yeah. You just dont talk about it. In fact, Bill Bradford didnt talk much about anything. To anybody. Even his own family. He was just very much, you know, here is my role. I work. I come home. I eat dinner. Then he went to his bedroom. Just to be alone or what . To work on his stamp collection. Exacting, organized, introverted. Joans polar opposite. And eventually, that disconnect took its toll. Bill moved out. Joan moved on, filed for divorce. The kids grew up and moved away. And in the fall of 1988, joan sold the house on sharon lane. My mom was trying to finish up the sale and the move from torrence to start her life over again. It was a friday evening. Joan was packing, getting ready. Shawn and a younger brother called her on the phone and told her were coming over. It was just getting dark when they arrived. So we opened up the door, went in. Calling for her. Nothing. As i went through the front living room, i caught something out of the corner of my eye. It was my mom and she was laying on the ground. And i could see blood everywhere. In a panic, shawn called 911 and then called her brother, brett. And she says mom has been hurt. She has a hole in her neck. She was frantic. Then the police and paramedics arrived and cordoned off the place where she lay. I could see numerous bullet holes in the back of her neck. Keith mason was a detective, tor torrence pd. In all my years, ive seen people shot in homicides, but never this time times. This was an execution. Definitely. What shawn had seen, her mother on the floor, had been so confusing, but now she saw nothing because they kept her away. One of the paramedics met me and i looked at him and said, will she be okay . Thinking she was still alive . Yeah. I wasnt processing. But he finally looked at me and just shook his head no. And thats when i realized that she was dead. Had she seen what was coming . Did she know her life was over . They had taken the body out. Someone had taken a carpet cleaner to clean up the blood and basically my last memory is a carpet cleaner of my moms blood. Which she didnt deserve to die that way. Sweet, kind hearted Joan Bradford was 52. Who did it . Why . Next to her body was a clue. I saw a bullet lying on the floor by her food foot from a. 38 caliber or. 357 caliber handgun. When a detective asked me if i knew anybody who had a gun, my initial response was no. My brother turned around and nodded and he looked at me and said dad has one. And i stopped and went, youre right. But where was Bill Bradford and his gun . Coming up he did, in fact, own a model 66 smith wesson handgun. We did find a box in his bedroom. It was supposed to contain a smith wesson, but it was empty. And a peek inside that failed marriage. When he pushed her down, her head hit a rocking chair and shattered it. At one point when i was 16, my father looked me in the eye and said life is a bitch and then you mariry one. When dateline continues. When dateline continues were at the movies and we need to silence our phone. Who knows where that button is . I dont have silent. Everyone does right up here. It happens to all of us. We buy a new home, and we turn into our parents. What i do is help new homeowners overcome this. What is that, an adjustable spanner . Good choice, steve. Okay, dont forget youre not assisting him. You hired him. If you have nowhere to sit, you have too many. Who else reads books about submarines . My dad. Yeah. Oh, those are progressive cant protect you from becoming your parents, but we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us. Look at that. When you bundle with us. Reinventing. Its what with comcast business, your Small Business can work faster, with powerful internet from the nations largest gigspeed network. Work safer, with all your connected devices automatically protected by securityedge. And work anywhere, with comcast business at home, our new businessgrade Internet Solution for remote workers. Whatever your business needs, comcast business has the solutions to help you not just bounce back, but bounce forward. Call or go online to find out more. Reporter it looked like a mob hit. Whoever murdered Joan Bradford clearly wanted to be absolutely sure. It was brutal. It was close up. It was very revengeful type of shooting. Reporter there was no sign of a breakin. Her purse was untouched, and no one in the neighborhood saw anything. So detectives turned their investigation to joans inner circle. They asked their children about their mother, their father and the marriage. Shaun didnt hold back. It wasnt a good marriage. Reporter how long had you known that . It was obvious when i was a teenager. They never hugged. They never kissed. They rarely spoke. Reporter and when they did speak, bill was controlling, condescending. At one point when i was 16, my father actually looked me in the eye and said lifes a bitch and then you marry one. My parents got in a fight. Then he pushed her down. Her head hit a rocking chair and shattered it. I mean, thats what i grew up in. Reporter when they finally separated, the divorce was nasty. My father refused to pay Child Support. He refused to pay spousal support. Everything he did was to extend the divorce. Reporter it took over five years for joan to get divorced. As part of the settlement, bill was ordered to pay Child Support and alimony, but he did not make the payments as required. Joan and her attorney were able to garnish all that unpaid support from bills share of the house proceeds. The total amount that was garnished was 40,000. Thats not that bad. It really wasnt that much. But it bothered him . It bothered him because she won. To lose 40,000 . He lost control. My father does not like losing control of anything. Reporter bill never saw it coming. Suddenly he was almost 40,000 poorer, and the day after bradford had all that money garnished, his exwife was dead. So the cops went looking for bradford. The trouble was he seems to have disappeared. He didnt pick up his phone. He didnt answer the door at his apartment. Detective mason went back to headquarters, inserted the name Bill Bradford in his database, and he did, in fact, own a model 66 smith wesson handgun. 357 magnum. Reporter which just happened to fire the same kind of bullets found at the crime scene. So detective mason got a warrant to search bradfords apartment. There was no sign of him or the gun, but we did find a box in his bedroom that was supposed to contain a smith wesson, but it was empty. Reporter saturday passed. Still no sign of Bill Bradford. Police even put up posters, hoping for leads. And then on sunday, two days after the murder he came into the police department. Well, well, well. Myself and another detective asked him if he was aware of the fact that his exwife was dead. Im sorry to see her dead, but, um, we never had a very good relationship. This guy sat there and looked at me like im sitting here looking at you. I thought boy, you are a cold, calculating guy. Very cold, nonchalantly, like who cares. Bradford confirmed what his children said. He was very upset about all that money from his share of the house sale that was suddenly sent to joan. So upset he left his apartment for almost two whole days. I went to the redondo pier. You spent the night at the pier . I spent all the time at the pier from then until this morning at 6 00. What the hell was he doing at the pier in his car . He stated that he didnt feel good. He wanted to be alone and think. I said well, you live alone. He said well, i didnt want to talk to people. I didnt want to talk on the phone. I just wanted to be alone. Reporter but alone at the Redondo Beach pier for nearly two days . The police asked him about his. 357 magnum. Joan had been shot with hollow point bullets. Bradford admitted he once bought ammo like that. But as for the gun itself i put my stuff in storage, and ive been unable the locate it. And where do you think you left it . I havent the slightest idea where it went. Did it strike you odd that this fellow is so well organized would misplace a gun . Oh, yes, it struck me odd. I knew right away he didnt misplace it. No doubt in my mind because of the type of fellow he was. Reporter but bradford did have an alibi. A parking stub. Sure enough, he entered the pier parking lot the friday of the murder, 7 29 p. M. So he said he could not have killed joan, unless the detectives put together a timeline. Joan answered a phone call at 7 00 p. M. , but by 7 15, when shaun arrived, she was dead. We figure thats the timeline, 7 00, 7 15, right in that time. Its a pretty narrow window. Right. Reporter could bill have shot joan, then arrived at 7 29 at the pier . They made the drive themselves. It took just seven to eight minutes. It all fit. When one of the detectives said your father is a prime suspect. Its the only thing that made sense. There was no one who could hate my mom so much to want her dead, except my father. Reporter so just days after interviewing Bill Bradford, the detectives made their move. I arrested him. If there is no way in the world im going let this guy go. You have to be a dope not to think he did it. Right . There was a ton of circumstantial evidence, all leading to him. Reporter murder solved, case closed, right . Oh, no, it was just getting started. Reporter coming up i spent a number of months looking over my shoulder. A Family Living in fear, with good reason. I was afraid that someone was after me. Someone . My father. My father murdered my mother and i dont know why he did it. Would he murder me . He murder me all strength we aint stoppin believe me go straight till the morning look like we wont wait were taking everything we wanted we can do it all strength, no sweat she said it was like someone else was controlling her mouth. Her doctor said she has tardive dyskinesia, which may be related to important medication she takes for her depression. Td can affect different parts of the body. [narrator] in todays trying times, were here to help you manage td. Visit talkabouttd. Com for a doctor discussion guide to prep for your next appointment in person, over the phone, or online. We were so relieved to learn there are treatments for td. Reporter september 1988. Hot and hazy in l. A. , beach weather, but Bill Bradford wasnt at the beach anymore. No view from a jail cell. And while he waited in custody, detective keith mason went over to see the d. A. , where he described his case and waited for the goahead to charge bradford with murder for killing his ex wife. Didnt quite work out that way. The head d. A. Right away said, do you have the gun . I said, no, we dont have the gun. He said, do you have anybody who could put him at the house at the time of the homicide . I said, no. He says, i dont think were gonna do anything with this case. Reporter uhoh. I was mad. I was upset. I knew we just let a murderer out the door. Reporter so Bill Bradford went home, went back to work at trw. But his children werent celebrating. In fact, they feared their father, and worried they just might be his next victims. I spent a number of months looking over my shoulder wondering who was following me. I can remember cars following me at various times, and just kind of randomly driving places, trying to figure out what was going on, to lose who was tailing me. Reporter bret said he too was followed. So he installed a Home Security system, started sleeping with the lights on. I was jumpy. I would walk into my apartment and i would actually search it. Underneath the kitchen sink. All my closets. I would look under my bed. Reporter why . Because i was afraid that someone was after me. Reporter someone . My father. My father murdered my mother, and i dont know why he did it. So the next question is, would he murder me . Reporter the late 80s was a busy time for l. A. Homicide detectives. Murder rates were headed for their alltime peak around them. So detective mason, no choice really, moved on. A year passed. Then two. The bradford case got buried. I would sit around and wonder, oh you know, im going to grab that bradford case out and im going to read that again. Maybe theres something i missed. Maybe theres something i didnt do. Maybe theres something i could do. Reporter but all those somethings led to a bunch of nothings, not one new lead. Mason stayed in close contact with shaun, who by this time was engaged to be married. Her father wasnt on the guest list, but shaun was worried hed show up at her wedding. We actually had plain clothes cops that were armed at our wedding. Reporter you were that nervous . Yes. He killed once. My belief was my father killed my mom. Hes not welcome. I believe he did this. This isnt safe. Reporter and she felt nothing but relief when her father missed the wedding, his only daughters wedding, but he was around, bold as brass. I would go out to a big place, there hed be. Hed be Walking Around. Reporter wow. And i would think right away, you know, youre free, youre free, but i hope not for long. Reporter but it was long. Very long. The Joan Bradford case was ice cold. The 80s turned to the 90s, and then the millennium. Bill bradford remained free, celebrating the new year, the new millennium like everybody else. And then a few months later i finally retired, and there was no new evidence. Everything just kind of, like, went cold case. So i left and went on to greener fields. Reporter by then Bill Bradford retired, too, eventually moved to the desert, and by the look of it had plenty of money. And one day, together, his children faced the facts. Bret and i were sitting down and he looked at me and said, so its real. Our fathers getting away with murder. At that point it was like, ok, you got to there was nothing we could do, and, you know, what do you do in that situation . Reporter they didnt know, of course, how could they, what was going on in here. In secret. Didnt know who else was thinking about their estranged father and what he may have done. Closing in youve gotta have some evidence. All that stuff hiding in plain sight. Trying to read between lines. I always think of it like death by a thousand paper cuts. Reporter and authorities wondered whether others had been at risk. You really think that he was going to go and kill a lawyer . No question. Youre speculating. We dont leave our common sense at the door. In this situation, we would have to leave our common sense in another zip code. Another zip code im a performer. Always have been. And always will be. Never letting anything get in my way. Not the doubts, distractions, or voice in my head. And certainly not arthritis. New voltaren provides powerful arthritis pain relief to help me keep moving. And it can help you too. Feel the joy of movement with voltaren. Neuriva has clinically proven oingredients that fuel five, indicators of brain performanc memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. Try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference. Hello, im dara brown. The u. S. Has hit a record 70,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day. Florida topped 11,000. Despite those numbers, disney world is opening again this weekend. The park has announced a number of Safety Measures to protect park personnel and guests. And President Trump has commuted the sentence of roger stone. Now back to dateline. W back t. Welcome back to dateline. Back in 1988, Joan Lockwood had been murdered and detectives believed all signs pointed to her exhusband been Bill Bradford, but the d. A. Did not believe they had enough to make a case. Once again, here is Keith Morrison with the threat. Reporter Bill Bradfords children were convinced their father had gotten away with murdering their mother, shot her in cold blood, and walked away a freeman. Knowing that all the evidence points to, unfortunately, your father, and knowing that hes going to get away with it, it didnt sit right. Reporter but something was being done. In 2000, about 12 years after joans murder, an ambitious prosecutor named john lewin was poking through the unsolved files at the torrance p. D. When i read the file, my response was, oh, my gosh. Hows this guy Walking Around . How is he not in custody . Reporter it seemed so obvious. It seemed so obvious. Reporter but so difficult to prove. Especially without any new solid evidence. So lewin called in cold case detective jim wallace who seemed to have a knack for making sense of complicated cases. This case did not have a lot. We didnt have anything new. Reporter but youve gotta have some evidence. So what do you do . You are looking for the things hiding in plain sight. Trying to read between lines. Sometimes, when we do cold cases like this, i always think of it as death by a thousand paper cuts. You know . Where we are assembling, big cumulative cases reporter right. From a lot of little pieces that dont seem like much. But when you put it all together, this is the best inference from evidence. Reporter wallace and lewin took a deep dive into all that original evidence, a file of mostly interviews. With a theme. The First Response always, if its from kids or friends or neighbors, is, william bradford. So theres one person who would want her dead. It still doesnt mean hes the killer. But it does mean that, of all the reasonable options, he is the most reasonable option. Reporter they learned all about the bradfords troubled marriage, about bills apparent need to be in control, about the contentious divorce, the money he was forced to pay joan. There was some court orders to pay about 40,000 to my wifes attorney, and i was very depressed from that point on. Reporter they microanalyzed bradfords police interview, dissected every word. Im looking at word choices in all the interviews. Im looking for deception indicators. Reporter do you remember anything particularly about that process in that interview . Yeah. The investigators asked him how he felt about when he first learned that his wife was murdered. Im sorry to see her dead, but we never had a very good relationship. Thats a very unusual way to answer that, right . Reporter about your wife. Yeah. You didnt wanna see her dead. That is, in some ways, a bit of a tacit admission in that you were the one person who could actually say that you last saw her dead. Reporter then there was bradfords strange story about spending two nights at the pier, in his car. He even had a parking stub to prove it. When you talk to his family, and you brought up, um hey, is your dad is he that kind of, you know, beach, meditation, put on my sandals and relate to the ocean kinda guy . Um, no. Reporter except he was very upset. Maybe you doubt him, but its a reasonable thing for a person to say. To sleep in their car for two days . Reporter lewin and wallace were both convinced there was another reason bradford stayed at the pier. It just happened to be where joans attorney had an office. The very same attorney who helped her garnish that 40,000 from her exhusband. By his own statement, he was pacing, walking up and down the pier. Right in front of the Lawyers Office. Now, the lawyer, had he been there and bradford waited for him for two days, i have no doubt in my mind this wouldve been a double murdersuicide. Reporter you really think that he was going to go and kill a lawyer . No question. Reporter youre speculating. But i mean, you say, no question. But really, you have no idea. Things are logical and reasonable. Hes just murdered his wife. And right after he murders her, he drives to a place that hes never known to go, and sleeps in his car for two days. And it just so happens that the Lawyers Office is right there. We dont leave our common sense at the door. In this situation, you know, wed have to leave our common sense in another zip code. Bradford had been beaten. This attorney made that happen. He had to die, too. Reporter and, wallace thought, he must have intended to use the very same gun with which he killed joan. The. 357 magnum bradford said he lost. I havent the slightest idea of where it went. Reporter wallace did a Little Research on the hollowtip bullets bradford admitted he once had. Remember, those were the same kind of bullets that killed joan. And wallace discovered that particular type of hollow point is rare. Less than 1 of all the ammo sold. Wow, what are the odds . Hes either the unluckiest person in the world, who just happens to have all of these causal factors that happen to align perfectly, to make this perfectly innocent person look really guilty. Or hes really guilty. Reporter so with all those circumstantial clues and a clear motive and means, lewin and wallace, drove out to the desert and arrested Bill Bradford. It was may 2001. 13 years after joan was murdered. He had just popped open a beer. I dont think that bill realizes that you will never see this ever again. This is a guy were just gonna vacuum suck out of his life, who has no idea. Reporter bradford was charged with first degree murder. And one of the detectives phoned shaun. My first reaction was do you know what day today is . Said, no. Its mothers day. And he stopped and he said, oh my gosh, im sorry. I said, no, thats fitting for the mother that he took away 13 years ago. Reporter bradford quickly lawyered up, while his family braced themselves for a trial. Would their father walk free . Or be locked up for life . I want to use the word apprehensive. Because, after years, can a case be won . Coming up we felt this burden. A trial reporter getting a little nervous by this point . Oh, i was. I was. Because i didnt know how this would all fit together. I really worried 37 and a threat. His cellmate has come forward. He has said bradford is very angry at you and he is making plans to murder you and your family. Protect your pet with the 1 name in flea and tick protection. Frontline plus. Trusted by vets for nearly 20 years. Theyre going to be paying for this for a long time. They will, but with accident forgiveness allstate wont raise your rates just because of an accident, even if its your fault. Cut sonny. Was that good . Line the desert never lies. Isnt that what i said . No you were talking about allstate and insurance. I just. When i. Lets try again. Everybody back to one. Accident forgiveness from allstate. Click or call for a quote today. Reporter Bill Bradford, former Aerospace Engineer was coming back to torrance to be tried for murdering his exwife joan. It was 2002, and though, 14 years after the murder, d. A. Lewin had a pile of the same old circumstantial evidence, he charged ahead. You were confident going into this trial . Very confident. I thought that, circumstantially, it was an absolutely overwhelming case. Reporter really . The original d. A. Rejected it. Weak, he called it. No smoking gun, no dna, no eyewitnesses. We felt this burden. Well never get another case like this ever filed again, if we lose this one. Getting a little nervous by this point. Oh, i was i was because i didnt know how this would all fit together, not having done a circumstantial case like this before, i really worried. Reporter nevertheless in the winter of 2002, lewin and wallace took their first cold, circumstantial case to court. The way we presented the case was this is a man who was in an abusive relationship. He would not accept that his wife wanted her fair share and when he lost to him, it was the losing. He couldnt take losing. Reporter and so in a violent rage, said lewin, bradford executed his exwife. Bradfords children testified for the prosecution. That was probably almost as hard as finding my mom murdered. I didnt know until the trial that she had been shot executionstyle. Reporter her fathers defense, mostly centered on bradfords sterling reputation as a high security Aerospace Engineer, loving father and family man and pointed out the lack of physical evidence connecting him to the crime and the jury kept suspense alive. Was out for two days. And then on a cool april morning came the verdict broadcast by a local fox station. Guilty. Finally, justice for Joan Bradford. I went from suspecting that my father murdered my mom to having it confirmed. Because theres always that little point that still wanted to be daddys little girl and wanted to believe that this was something else. Reporter it was shauns birthday a few weeks later when her father was sentenced to 26 years to life. Hed be 85 by the time he was eligible for parole. I remember telling his daughter that this mans not going to last five years in prison. So i thought it would be a life sentence. I was a lot more relaxed. People kept saying, oh, hell be dead in five years. So, you know, im safe, hes never getting out. So, you know, im safe, hes never getting out. Reporter safe . Maybe not everybody. Never getting out. Reporter safe . Maybe not everybodgetting out. Reporter safe . Maybe not everybody. Months later d. A. Lewin got a call from the prison about Bill Bradford. They tell me that his cellmate has come forward and he has said that, bradfords very angry at you, and he is talking about making plans to murder you and your family. Reporter of course in lewins line of work idle threats from resentful jailbirds were not exactly new but this Bill Bradford guy caught his attention. He seemed as cold blooded as they come. So lewin went to talk to the informant. Normally, if somebody comes to you with a story like that, they want to a little time off their sentence or something. They want something, absolutely. So not this guy. Nothin. One of the first things i ask him was why are you coming forward . And he said, um, i hate the guy. I couldnt believe how he would talk about his wife, and how he killed her. And he said, now, hes talkin about, you know, killing, somebody elses family and i just couldnt stay reporter lewin polygraphed the informant. He passed and then added a warning. That bradford had said that he thought he was going to get out very quickly. On appeal. On appeal and when he got out, he was gonna, either himself or somebody else, he was going to blow my familys heads off in front of me, so that i could suffer and then he was going to kill me. So i immediately took it seriously that it was a credible threat. Reporter but then bradford lost all his appeals and gradually lewin stopped looking over his shoulder. He went on to successfully prosecute many more cold, circumstantial cases, including several with jim wallace. In fact, the two have been featured on dateline four times. The bradford case faded away until 15 years later. The fall of 2017. I come home from work and my husband says, you have a letter from department of corrections and i went, okay, its one of two things he died or parole. I open it up, hes still alive. Reporter so, option number two. His parole hearing at the prison was coming up. Which meant that Bill Bradford, a convicted killer who once allegedly threatened to murder the d. A. And his family could very soon be back on the street. Coming up i made a promise to myself that i would speak for my mom. I went to the parole. A decision. I was stunned. But is it final . This is a very bright man. He has resources. He has motivation. When will he stop being dangerous to you . When hes dead. When dateline continues. We do have a ratt problem. Round and round with love well find a way, just give it time. At least geico makes bundling our home and Car Insurance easy. It does help us save. Round and round with love well find a way, just give it time. Round and round what comes around, goes around. For bundling made easy, go to geico. Com and its negatively impacting your enamel. Eating and drinking healthy things that are acidic thinning and yellowing can happen as a result of that. Pronamel is a proactive solution designed to help protect your enamel. But what if you could startdo better than that . Like adapt. Discover. Deliver. In new ways. To new customers. What if you could come back stronger . Faster. Better. At comcast business, we want to help you not just bounce back. But bounce forward. And now, were committed to helping you do just that with a powerful and reliable internet and voice solution at a great price. Call or go online today. Welcome back. Prosecutordown lewin had ever reason to take bill bradley seriously. A fellow inmate volunteered that he was boasting about plans to kill the lawyer and his family if he got out of prison. The Bradford Children also felt threatened by their father. With parole around the corner, could their nightmare become a reality. Heres Keith Morrison with a conclusion of the threat. The California Health care facility, but dont be fooled by the name. This is, indeed, a prison, and home to Bill Bradford, who by 2018 had been in prison 16 years, was mad he was up for parole. That january two of bradfords children traveled to the prison for his hearing. I made a promise to myself that i would speak for my mom. I went to the parole. What was it like to see him there . I saw a man who has not aged well in the last 15 years. Deputy d. A. John lewin went to the hearing too, memories of Death Threats all too fresh in his mind. Im understand law is the law and they have to look at parole for him. This man is a threat to me. Hes a threat, more importantly, to my family. This is not personal in terms of any vendetta or in terms about being right. This southbound Public Safety and protecting those of us who sacrifice a lot to do the jobs we do, whether youre Police Officers or prosecutors, or judges. Cameras werent allowed inside the hearing as the commissioners began asking bradford about the brutal murder he committed. For the first time in 30 years i heard my father admit to killing my mom. However, theres a reason for doing such a thing which is that he has a chance to get paroled. Yes, he did. However, the way he went about admitting it was very unique. The commissioner was asking about where is joan, your exwife now. He stops and goes, wait. Is that the woman i shot . And the commissioner stops. You tell us, did you kill your exwife . Yes, i did. Why . I dont remember. He appears to have dementia of some sort. Yeah. Bradfords attorney told the commissioners that bradfords dementia and basket of other Health Problems were getting worse and that john lewin has nothing to fear from a confused and frail old man. Nothing has happened in 16 years. Mr. Bradford isnt connected to the mob or the Mexican Mafia or any prison gang, right . And, quite frankly, he didnt even know who john lewin was. In the room he didnt recognize him. Didnt know him. Didnt know his name. How do you know that. His name. Apparent the way he is. The prisons own psychologist examined him and they came back with a rating, theres low risk, moderate risk, and high risk. He came back with a moderate risk. The issue the commissioners are trying to focus on and wanted you to focus on but you didnt want to is hes not capable of harming you anymore beyond being dangerous. His mind is very clear. The manu, was able to recite numerous different issues. He thought what he thinks is called severe dementia is a case of selective memory. He denied remembering, knowing me. He had amnesia about the whole event. The idea that hes helpless and doesnt have the capability to harm me and my family is absurd. When will he stop being dangerous to you . When hes dead. Bradfords children also spoke up at the hearing and urged the commissioners to keep their dad locked up. Im had to go on to explain what i was concerned about for safety, not only to myself but the general population. For several hours the commissioner questions bradford, listened to lewin and the family and tried to determine whether the old man was releasable. Then they went to the chamber to make up their minds. Later that afternoon bradford and lewin were called in and told the question about whether or not mr. Bradford poses a current threat, the answer was no. No threat meant yes to parole. Bill bradford would be released. Im was furious, and i said if something happens to my family, the blood is on your hands, and you will own this. When bradfords children got the news, those old fears about their father suddenly returned. I was stunned. I couldnt believe they would turn around and say hes not a risk. Would i be a fool to say we are perfectly safe . No. My father killed once. The commissioner timed bradfords release for february 2019. By then he would be in his mid80s, more than 30 years removed from when he pulled that trigger. Could he really do it again. This is a very bright man. He has resources, and he has motivation. It takes very little to find out where my family is. All he needs is a gun and an uber. This is an 85yearold guy whos on a mission. If hes able to still command his wits, we have a problem still. Because he was able to command his wits when he made the first threat, and here we are now. We have not done something that has lessened his anger. There was one more step before his release. Californias then governor jerry brown would review the decision and could reverse it, to keep him in prison. The l. A. County d. A. s office wrote a letter urging him do just that. So did his family. I contacted the governors office. I wrote a letter. My brother wrote a letter. And i had two senators actually cosign a let err. Lewin acted, too, through the media, tried to persuade jerry governor through the media to keep bradford locked up. Then a week after memorial day 2018 came this letter from governor brown. The evidence shows that he, meaning bradford, currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison. Therefore, i reverse the decision to parole mr. Bradford. When it came in, there was a lot of shock, but also a lot of relief. That relief would be temporary. In june 2019, Bill Bradford was, again, granted parole, and like last time, that decision needed approval. This time there was a new governor in office, gavin newsom. But it was the same result. Like his predecessor, he, too, reversed bills parole. So Bill Bradford remains behind bars, and the mighty columbia rolls by a Little Cemetery where a woman who loved life and her children and put up with a difficult husband is at peace. Thats all for this edition of dataline. Im natalie morales. Thank you for watching. Ooirks. First up on mnsnbc, get out of jail freechlt President Trump. Sudden exposure. Some hospitals in the south are doing the unthinkable. Mickey mouse back to work. Disney reopens as cases spike in florida. Will the new Safety Measures be enough to stop the spread. Blue sun. What the new polling says about the president s reelection prospects and whether democrats could take it all this fall. Good morning to you on this saturday, july 11th. Im cori coffin. And im