Virginia Man Charged With Wife's Murder Tells Judge He'll Represent Himself
Roger Bradford, 60, appeared virtually in a Loudoun County court after allegedly tying his wife's hands and shooting her dead. A judge cut him off after he began speaking unprompted.
Virginia man accused of killing wife makes chaotic first court appearance
Roger Bradford, 60, made a disruptive virtual appearance in a Loudoun County court Wednesday after authorities charged him with the murder of his wife, 54-year-old Lisa Bradford, Law & Crime reports. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) had announced the charges on Sept. 22 — the same day the killing allegedly took place.
Speaking from the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center, Bradford declared he would represent himself. "I don't trust lawyers, they are the worst criminals," he told the court, according to regional Fox affiliate WTTG. He also waived a bond hearing: "I'll make it easy on you. I don't want no bond hearing. I'm right where I need to be." The judge then reportedly told him to stop talking.
Bradford went on to question the degree of the murder charge, telling the court his paperwork listed second-degree murder rather than first-degree murder. The judge acknowledged the arrest records did reflect second-degree murder, but prosecutors said they intend to pursue a first-degree murder charge based on evidence gathered so far.
Zip ties, ammunition, and a written list of targets
That evidence centers on the morning of Sept. 22. According to authorities, Bradford first stopped at a storage facility in Ashburn, Virginia, where he retrieved .45-caliber ammunition from a locker. He then drove roughly 12 miles south to a Home Depot in South Riding, Virginia, and purchased 36-inch zip ties.
At approximately 9 a.m., Bradford returned to the couple's home on the 24000 block of Quimby Oaks Place in Aldie, Virginia — about 40 miles west of Washington, D.C. — where he allegedly shot and killed Lisa Bradford.
After the shooting, Bradford called his sister, apologized, and asked her to collect his teenage daughter from school so the girl would not see what he had done, court records show. The sister contacted police. Officers arrived to find Lisa Bradford face down on a bed, hands bound behind her back with a pillow over her head.
Bradford was apprehended later that day in Pennsylvania. State police said they found a journal inside his rental car containing a list of potential targets. Lisa Bradford's name appeared at the top, accompanied by a notation that she was to be killed on Sept. 22 — the day she died, authorities allege.
Prior federal conviction and references to a crumbling marriage
Court records reviewed by Law & Crime show Bradford had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud tied to a kickback scheme in Iowa dating to 2019, for which he served prison time.
In a January filing seeking to appeal that conviction, Bradford wrote that he had been "suicidal many nights" while incarcerated and that his "professional reputation and relationships" had been destroyed by his felony conviction. He also addressed his marriage directly: "My marriage with my wife Lisa is now headed to divorce as the pressures and injustice of this nightmare took its toll on our marriage and our life together," he wrote, adding that the marriage "likely coming to an end is too much to bear."
Hearing date request draws attention
When the court attempted to schedule a review hearing for Oct. 28, Bradford asked whether a different date could be chosen. He told the court that Oct. 28 is Lisa Bradford's birthday. "I think I will be in psychosis that day," he said, according to WTTG.
Source: Law & Crime