Woman details plan to kill father, executes as he enters home

A woman in Washington state will serve numerous years in prison after writing in her journal about wanting to kill her father and then carrying out the grim plan in a disturbingly brutal manner.

In March, Alyssa Bradburn, aged 33, was convicted by a jury in Spokane County. She faced one charge of first-degree murder for the killing of her 68-year-old father, Timothy Bradburn, in June 2024.

On Thursday, Spokane County Superior Court Judge Julie McKay sentenced the defendant to 28 years and four months in jail. 

Additionally, a no-contact order was put in place, aiming to bar the convict from ever reaching out to her brother, Trace Bradburn.

However, the siblings shared the same space for a final moment.

The convicted woman's brother was present at the sentencing and expressed his grief over their father's death, according to a courtroom account by Spokane-based ABC affiliate KXLY.

"I have to continue living with this," Trace Bradburn told the courtroom. "It deeply affects me every day."

The tragic event took place on June 25, 2024, at the Bradburn residence in Spokane. The victim succumbed to several gunshot wounds, with the perpetrator seldom questioned – the defendant herself called 911 to admit she had shot and killed her father.

Initially, however, she claimed her father was abusive toward her and her dogs, briefly attempting to claim self-defense.

Later, the defendant retracted her accusations against her father, including claims that he used a BB gun on her dogs, physically harmed her and the dogs, and sexually abused her when she was young.

From the outset, Alyssa Bradburn admitted that the shooting had been planned for weeks. Upon the officers' arrival, she handed over a notebook outlining those preparations, as reported by Spokane-based NBC affiliate KHQ.

"My diary contains my confession and all the details," Alyssa Bradburn revealed to officers. "I committed the act, and now it's time to face the consequences because he wasn't attacking me at that moment."

The defendant had no criminal background before she fatally shot her father using a gun she practiced with at a local gun range.

"Sadly, the crime Ms. Bradburn chose to initiate her criminal record with is one of the most serious we face," McKay stated during the sentencing.

The shooting took place shortly after Timothy Bradburn returned from a Hawaiian holiday. As he entered his home, his daughter fired multiple rounds.

After placing a 911 call just before midnight and admitting to the shooting, she waited for officers on her front porch.

The prosecution sought a sentence of 31 years and seven months, referencing the calculated and intentional nature of the crime.