76-Year-Old Man Sentenced To Life In Prison Without Parole For Shooting, Killing His Wife

A Tulsa man convicted of shooting and killing his wife is sentenced to life without parole.

Charles Bradley, 76, was convicted earlier in March of killing his wife Sandra in their house in 2022 before calling 911.

Bradley said he has PTSD from her service during the Vietnam War and was having an extreme nightmare at the time.

Prosecutors said Bradley shot his wife out of jealousy and that PTSD is not an excuse for murder.

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A Tulsa county jury finds a 76-year-old man guilty of murdering his wife in their home in 2022.

Prosecutors say Charles Bradley shot and killed his wife Sandra over jealousy, then called 911 and told dispatch he may have killed her.

The jury deliberated just under two hours before finding Bradley guilty.

Bradley has said from the beginning he was having a nightmare and didn’t realize he killed his wife.

In closing arguments, prosecutors told the jury that Bradley’s elaborate story about nightmares, sleepwalking and PTSD was not an excuse for murder.

Bradley testified he’s had nightmares for decades because of his time serving in the Vietnam War and said thunderstorms that night triggered a nightmare where he thought he was in a mortar attack.

Bradley told investigators he didn’t realize he shot Sandra until after he fired the gun.

Prosecutors say it was all a made-up story, and Bradley shot Sandra once in the chest and once in the back. They say Bradley was jealous of his wife’s relationship with her boss.

They say Sandra worked for an elderly doctor and cared for him, and got back from a trip with her boss the night before she was killed.

They say Bradley saw Sandra and her boss once and he kept records of his wife’s phone calls with her boss.

Bradley's attorney says he's disappointed with the verdict.

"The other thing is, the way the criminal justice system works, he will probably die of old age before you could ever appeal it,” said Bradley’s attorney, Kent Morlan.

Prosecutors say they were thrilled the jury came back with a guilty verdict and gave justice to Sandra’s family.

"I think the important part is, while we can't give them closure, we at least have a just outcome to hold Mr. Bradley accountable for taking her away from them, from everybody,” said Tulsa County Assistant DA Ashley Nix.

The jury recommends Bradley serve life in prison without parole.

He will be sentenced later this month, when Sandra's family will be able to give victim impact statements.