Dudleytown, IN: Jackson County man sentenced to 55 years for killing wife

By Chris Schilling
Reporter

BROWNSTOWN - A Jackson County man who killed his wife was sentenced Monday to 55 years in prison.

Bryon S. Bradley, 39, of Dudleytown, shot to death his wife, Nancy M. Bradley, 39, in January 2009 at their eastern Jackson County home.

The murder took place in the presence of Nancy Bradley's teenage son, Justin Smith, who called 911 to report his mother had been shot.


Smith testified Monday that his mother was a gracious woman and that he will never forget the night she was killed.

He called Bryon Bradley a "selfish and violent person."

"He committed the ultimate act of selfishness and should get the ultimate penalty possible," Smith said.

Bryon Bradley told authorities he killed Nancy Bradley because he suspected she was having an affair, according to a probable cause affidavit.

He tried to shoot himself but the gun jammed, and Bradley also stabbed himself several times in the torso in an attempt to kill himself.

Billy Smith, Justin Smith's father, testified that Nancy Bradley's biggest flaw was that her heart was too big.

Ultimately, it led to her death, he said.

Billy Smith testified that Nancy Bradley thought she could make Bryon Bradley a better person, and for awhile she did.

She motivated him to pay his child support and contributed to it financially among other things for her husband, Billy Smith said.

But Bryon Bradley took advantage of her kindness, manipulated her and killed her out of selfishness, Billy Smith said.

Bryon Bradley gave a brief apology to Nancy Bradley's family and friends, "especially Justin," he said.

Bryon Bradley pleaded guilty to the murder charge in December in exchange for prosecutors dropping other charges against him.

Jackson Circuit Court Judge William Vance noted that Bradley killed his wife in the presence of her son, who was younger than 18, and that he benefited from pleading guilty by having the other charges dismissed.

However, he also noted that Bradley's only criminal record was a driving while intoxicated conviction 15 years ago and that his guilty plea benefited society by saving the county the significant costs of going to trial.

After weighing the mitigating and aggravating factors, Vance arrived at 55 years in prison, the state's advisory sentence for murder.