{"id":43327,"date":"2026-04-07T00:35:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T00:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=43327"},"modified":"2026-04-07T00:35:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T00:35:10","slug":"woman-who-smiled-in-court-gets-28-years-for-murdering-her-own-father","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=43327","title":{"rendered":"Woman who smiled in court gets 28 years for murdering her own father"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"speakable\">A Washington state woman, who at times smiled in court, has been sentenced to nearly three decades in prison in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/crime\/homicide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">killing of her father<\/a>, a case prosecutors say was marked by weeks of planning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable\">Alyssa Bradburn, 33, was sentenced April 2 in Spokane County Superior Court to 340 months in prison after a jury found her guilty of first-degree murder with a firearm enhancement in the 2024 killing of her father, Timothy Bradburn.<\/p>\n<p>The sentence, roughly 28 years, comes about a month after jurors returned the guilty verdict.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors said Bradburn showed little emotion throughout the trial, often sitting stoically and at times smiling. During her testimony, she said she &#8220;enjoyed&#8221; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/crime\/trials\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trial process<\/a> but believed she deserved punishment and would accept her sentence.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/colorado-mom-accused-killing-2-children-fleeing-uk-returns-stateside-face-murder-charges\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>COLORADO MOM ACCUSED OF KILLING 2 CHILDREN AND FLEEING TO UK RETURNS STATESIDE TO FACE MURDER CHARGES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/343\/192\/alyssa-bradburn-court-appearance-smiling-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/686\/384\/alyssa-bradburn-court-appearance-smiling-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/672\/378\/alyssa-bradburn-court-appearance-smiling-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1344\/756\/alyssa-bradburn-court-appearance-smiling-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/931\/523\/alyssa-bradburn-court-appearance-smiling-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1862\/1046\/alyssa-bradburn-court-appearance-smiling-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/720\/405\/alyssa-bradburn-court-appearance-smiling-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1440\/810\/alyssa-bradburn-court-appearance-smiling-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1200\/675\/alyssa-bradburn-court-appearance-smiling-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Alyssa Bradburn walks in court custody, smiling, during sentencing in Spokane murder case\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Alyssa Bradburn is escorted in court as she faces sentencing for the fatal shooting of her father in Spokane.<\/span> <span>(Fox 28 Spokane)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;I killed Tim Bradburn, and I am guilty,&#8221; she said during trial, smiling, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spokesman.com\/stories\/2026\/apr\/02\/woman-who-murdered-father-at-spokane-home-gets-28-\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">according to The Spokesman-Review.<\/a> &#8220;I\u2019m not afraid anymore. I\u2019m OK with going to prison for however long.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>According to court documents and testimony cited by prosecutors, Bradburn called 911 on June 25, 2024, and reported that she had shot her father as he returned home from a trip to Hawaii.<\/p>\n<p>She told dispatchers his body was in the entryway of their Northwest Spokane home and that she would be waiting outside for police.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/son-learns-fate-years-after-brutal-family-murders-wealthy-coastal-enclave\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>SON LEARNS FATE YEARS AFTER BRUTAL FAMILY MURDERS IN WEALTHY COASTAL ENCLAVE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/343\/192\/timothy-bradburn-home-spokane-crime-scene.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/686\/384\/timothy-bradburn-home-spokane-crime-scene.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/672\/378\/timothy-bradburn-home-spokane-crime-scene.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1344\/756\/timothy-bradburn-home-spokane-crime-scene.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/931\/523\/timothy-bradburn-home-spokane-crime-scene.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1862\/1046\/timothy-bradburn-home-spokane-crime-scene.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/720\/405\/timothy-bradburn-home-spokane-crime-scene.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1440\/810\/timothy-bradburn-home-spokane-crime-scene.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1200\/675\/timothy-bradburn-home-spokane-crime-scene.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Home in Spokane, Washington where Timothy Bradburn was shot and killed by his daughter\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>The Spokane home where Timothy Bradburn was fatally shot by his daughter Alyssa after returning from a trip to Hawaii.<\/span> <span>(Fox 28 Spokane)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Investigators say Timothy Bradburn was ambushed as he walked through the front door, still holding his suitcase and keys.<\/p>\n<p>Bradburn told detectives she believed she shot him three times \u2014 twice in the chest and once in the head to make sure he was dead. An autopsy later determined he had been shot four times.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors said the killing was deliberate.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/adopted-daughter-george-w-bushs-intelligence-director-john-negroponte-sentenced-friends-drunken-murder\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>ADOPTED DAUGHTER OF GEORGE W BUSH\u2019S INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR JOHN NEGROPONTE SENTENCED IN FRIEND\u2019S DRUNKEN MURDER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Bradburn admitted she began planning to kill her father weeks in advance, practicing with the firearm inside the home and getting help loading it at a gun range. She also journaled about the plan in the days leading up to the shooting.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The evidence\u2026 demonstrated an extreme and elaborate degree of planning,&#8221; Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Emily Sullivan said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FoxTrueCrime\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Bradburn initially claimed she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/crime\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">acted in self-defense<\/a>, alleging her father had abused her and her dogs, but later withdrew those accusations, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox28spokane.com\/spokane-woman-sentenced-to-28-years-for-fathers-murder\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">FOX 28 Spokane reported.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>During sentencing, her brother, Trace Bradburn, described the devastating impact of the loss.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/newsletters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/343\/192\/trace-bradburn-court-victim-impact-statement-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/686\/384\/trace-bradburn-court-victim-impact-statement-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/672\/378\/trace-bradburn-court-victim-impact-statement-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1344\/756\/trace-bradburn-court-victim-impact-statement-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/931\/523\/trace-bradburn-court-victim-impact-statement-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1862\/1046\/trace-bradburn-court-victim-impact-statement-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/720\/405\/trace-bradburn-court-victim-impact-statement-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1440\/810\/trace-bradburn-court-victim-impact-statement-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1200\/675\/trace-bradburn-court-victim-impact-statement-spokane.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Trace Bradburn speaks in Spokane County court during sentencing in his father\u2019s murder case\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Trace Bradburn delivers a victim impact statement in Spokane County Superior Court during sentencing for his father\u2019s killing.<\/span> <span>(Fox 28 Spokane)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;My father was everything to me,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>He also pushed back on the earlier allegations, saying they had unfairly damaged his father\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/tips\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>SEND US A TIP HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The false accusations made against him have deeply tarnished his memory,&#8221; he said, according to FOX 28. &#8220;My dad was an amazing man, and he never did anything to hurt anyone.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I just have to live my life with that\u2026 and it just guts me every day,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/link.podtrac.com\/cjdr_fnd_article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>LISTEN TO THE NEW &#8216;CRIME &amp; JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO&#8217; PODCAST<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors had asked for a higher sentence, 320 months plus a 60-month firearm enhancement, arguing the killing of her own father, combined with the level of planning, made the case especially disturbing.<\/p>\n<p>Bradburn\u2019s defense attorney argued for a lower sentence, citing her lack of criminal history and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/health\/mental-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mental health issues<\/a>, saying she sometimes struggles to distinguish between fantasy and reality, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/true-crime\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>LIKE WHAT YOU&#8217;RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Judge Julie McKay ultimately imposed a mid-range sentence of 280 months, plus the 60-month firearm enhancement, for a total of 340 months.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Unfortunately, the crime Ms. Bradburn decided to start her criminal history with is the most significant and serious that we have,&#8221; McKay said during sentencing, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to prison time, Bradburn will serve 36 months of community custody, must pay restitution related to her father\u2019s death, and is permanently barred from contacting her brother.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The judge acknowledged the devastation to the family, noting that no sentence could undo the loss.<\/p>\n<p>Bradburn&#8217;s legal team declined to comment on the sentencing or her change in appearance.<\/p>\n<p>Fox News Digital reached out to the Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney\u2019s Office for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Stepheny Price is a Writer at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News <\/a>with a focus on West Coast and Midwest news, missing persons, national and international crime stories, homicide cases, and border security.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/bald-headed-killer-smiles-prosecutors-reveal-what-she-did-before-dad-walked\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A Washington state woman, who at times smiled in court, has been sentenced to nearly three decades in&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}