Jury rules Spokane woman guilty in premeditated murder of her father

A Spokane jury convicted a woman Monday of murdering her father as he returned home from Hawaii.

Spokane Police arrested Alyssa Bradburn, 33, in June 2024 after she told police that she had shot and killed her father, Timothy Bradburn, at their home. She told officers at the time that she had been planning his murder for weeks, seeking advice from a gun shop on how to handle her weapon and practicing her aim around the northwest Spokane house.

When Timothy came home from his condo in Hawaii to fix a leaking roof, Alyssa had lied that she was sick, leading to him being “concerned” for her upon entering the house, she said in court Monday. With her dogs locked in a room out of harm’s way, she donned safety glasses and earplugs before shooting her father four times, killing him before he set his bag down.

“I killed Tim Bradburn, and I am guilty,” Alyssa said in court Monday, smiling. “I’m not afraid anymore. I’m OK with going to prison for however long.”

Alyssa initially claimed self-defense, citing abuse against her and her dogs, but she waived her claim during Monday, saying that her brother’s testimony on Thursday led her to decide that “I didn’t need to defend myself.”

“I just wanted to own this and take ownership, and that’s part of the reason for this trial as a whole,” she said. “I didn’t like the idea of just taking a plea and slinking off – that didn’t feel fair to everyone involved.”

Her brother, Trace Bradburn, 40, recounted a “close” and “loving” family history when called to the stand Thursday. Timothy and his wife, Garland Bradburn, “would do anything” for their daughter, he said.

Trace himself had a falling -out with his sister around 10 years ago, and the siblings only really interacted when posing for photos for their mother.

Garland died from lung cancer in 2019. It was only during a graphic recount of her mother’s final months that Alyssa’s cheery demeanor faltered. Timothy was distraught by Garland’s death, she said.

“About one and a half to two years before the end, we were both not OK, so he started going to Hawaii,” she said. “He got better – he met people and he started talking to people who weren’t as broken.”

Though Alyssa never retracted the abuse allegations she had made against her father, she talked at length about his life and accomplishments.

“Yes, he made mistakes and things were done, but he was a man who did the best he could when he was there,” she said. “And he deserved people to at least know that. He lost his life – I wasn’t going to take his memory, too.”

Alyssa’s defense attorney, Brian Raymon, said that there was more to the case than “any of us will ever know.”

“What Alyssa Bradburn did to her father was heinous, it was terrible. It’s one of the worst crimes that humans commit, and you have every right to believe she’s a monster,” Raymon said to the jury. “But I’ll tell you that the Alyssa Bradburn I’ve known for the past 20 months is not. She’s complicated, and that there is very much more to her than that.”

The jury deliberated about two hours before finding Bradburn guilty of first-degree murder.

Judge Julie McKay set a tentative sentencing date for April 2. Alyssa kept her smile as she was escorted out of the room, wrists bound.