Current:Home > BackProsecutors say Washington state man charged in 4 murders lured victims with promise of buried gold-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Prosecutors say Washington state man charged in 4 murders lured victims with promise of buried gold
View Date:2024-12-23 23:51:01
SEATTLE (AP) — A Washington state man in jail awaiting trial in one murder case has been charged with three more killings, and prosecutors say he lured all four victims by asking them to help dig up buried gold.
Richard Bradley Jr., 40, was charged in May 2021 with first-degree murder in the death of 44-year-old Brandi Blake, whose body was found buried in a sprawling park in the town of Auburn, Washington. In the last two weeks, prosecutors have filed three more murder charges against Bradley, The Seattle Times reports, in the shooting deaths of a father and adult son in May 2021 and in the 2019 death of a man whose remains were found near Blake’s grave.
Bradley’s defense attorney, Peter Geisness, did not immediately return voice and email messages on Saturday. Bradley is scheduled to stand trial next month in Blake’s death. He has not yet had the opportunity to enter a plea on the other murder charges, according to online court records.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Thomas O’Ban II wrote in court documents that Bradley is accused of using the same scheme in each of the deaths — allegedly telling the victims he needed their help digging up a stash of stolen gold, taking them to a wooded area and killing them before stealing their vehicles and whatever possessions were inside.
Charging documents say Emilio Maturin was 36 when he was last seen alive in July 2019. His girlfriend reported him missing two weeks later.
According to court documents, she told detectives that she overheard Bradley telling Maturin that “he needed help digging up some buried gold in Auburn.” Maturin initially was skeptical, she told detectives, but allegedly went along anyway. Maturin was in the habit of taking large amounts of money with him whenever he left the house, according to the court documents, and he had roughly $15,000 in cash when he left that day in his recently purchased BMW.
The girlfriend tracked Maturin’s cellphone to Game Farm Park in Auburn and went to look for him but got scared and left, according to charging documents.
Several hours later, Auburn police found an unregistered BMW parked near a large field at the park and waited for the driver to return. When they attempted to stop the driver, the car took off. Bradley was arrested after a car and foot chase and charged with eluding police, according to charging documents.
Michael Goeman, 59, and his son Vance Lakey, 31, were shot to death in March 2021, and their bodies were found on an unmaintained road not far from the park. Goeman received a large inheritance just before he and his son were killed, according to court documents.
Bradley was considered a person of interest in the deaths at the time. He was charged that May with second-degree arson after prosecutors said he offered a man $1,000 to set fire to the father and son’s impounded SUV. On Thursday, prosecutors added two counts of second-degree murder.
Blake went missing in early May 2021. She had won $20,000 at a casino and, like Maturin, was known to carry large amounts of cash, according to court documents. Investigators found her body in a shallow grave at the park later that month — as well as three human ribs about 30 feet (9 meters) away.
Bradley was charged that same month with killing Blake, who died of blunt force injuries. The ribs were later matched by DNA to Maturin, and Bradley was charged with murder in Maturin’s death on Dec. 5 of this year.
veryGood! (64829)
Related
- Beyoncé's Grammy nominations in country categories aren't the first to blur genre lines
- 'Heretic' spoilers! Hugh Grant spills on his horror villain's fears and fate
- Ashton Jeanty stats: How many rushing yards did Boise State Heisman hopeful have vs Nevada
- Texas now tops in SEC? Miami in trouble? Five overreactions to college football Week 11
- Mike Tyson-Jake Paul: How to watch the fight, time, odds
- Younghoo Koo takes blame for Falcons loss to Saints: 'This game is fully on me'
- Horoscopes Today, November 9, 2024
- Engines on 1.4 million Honda vehicles might fail, so US regulators open an investigation
- New Orleans marks with parade the 64th anniversary of 4 little girls integrating city schools
- Will Trump’s hush money conviction stand? A judge will rule on the president-elect’s immunity claim
Ranking
- Louisiana House greenlights Gov. Jeff Landry’s tax cuts
- Brush fire erupts in Brooklyn's iconic Prospect Park amid prolonged drought
- Trump is likely to name a loyalist as Pentagon chief after tumultuous first term
- 24 more monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina lab are recovered unharmed
- When does Spirit Christmas open? What to know about Spirit Halloween’s new holiday venture
- Wisconsin’s high court to hear oral arguments on whether an 1849 abortion ban remains valid
- Utah AD Mark Harlan rips officials following loss to BYU, claims game was 'stolen from us'
- Kennesaw State football coach Brian Bohannon steps down after 10 seasons amid first year in FBS
Recommendation
-
World leaders aim to shape Earth's future at COP29 climate change summit
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, 4G
-
Round 2 in the Trump-vs-Mexico matchup looks ominous for Mexico
-
Get Your Home Holiday-Ready & Decluttered With These Storage Solutions Starting at $14
-
Angels sign Travis d'Arnaud: Former All-Star catcher gets multiyear contract in LA
-
Everard Burke Introduce
-
Firefighters make progress, but Southern California wildfire rages on
-
'He's driving the bus': Jim Harbaugh effect paying dividends for Justin Herbert, Chargers