Police found Timothy Bradburn dead inside a Northwest Spokane home after his daughter reported the shooting.
SPOKANE, Wash. — The murder case against Alyssa Bradburn began when she called 911 after midnight and told dispatchers she had shot her father at their Spokane home, police and court records show.
That call brought officers to the 5600 block of North Cochran Street at 12:52 a.m. June 25, 2024. Within minutes, police detained Bradburn outside the home and found her father, 68-year-old Timothy Bradburn, dead inside. The first police account described a female caller who said she had shot her father. Later court proceedings turned that first report into a central fact for both sides: Bradburn admitted the shooting, but the case turned on why she did it and whether she had planned it.
Investigators said Timothy Bradburn had just returned from Hawaii when he entered the house. His daughter was waiting inside. The shooting happened near the front entry, ending a trip home within seconds of his arrival. Bradburn told officers where to find the gun and gave them a journal that prosecutors said described her thinking before the killing. She was taken into custody at the scene, and Spokane police detectives with the Major Crimes Unit began processing the house as a homicide scene.
At her first court appearance, Bradburn faced a first-degree murder allegation and a $1 million bond. Prosecutors cited public safety concerns, and the case stayed in Spokane County Superior Court as both sides prepared for trial. Bradburn initially told investigators that she acted because her father had abused her and her dogs. She said she slept with a gun because she feared him. But the claim did not remain the defense’s final position. Before the case ended, Bradburn withdrew her accusations against Timothy Bradburn.
The 911 call also shaped the defense argument. Bradburn’s lawyers pointed to the fact that she called police herself, waited outside and cooperated with officers. They argued that she had no criminal history before the killing and that her mental health mattered at sentencing. Defense attorney Brian Raymon said she suffered from a condition that could blur fantasy and reality. The court record shows a competency review was ordered in late 2025. A judge later found Bradburn competent to stand trial, clearing the way for jurors to hear the case in 2026.
Prosecutors used a different reading of the same conduct. They said Bradburn’s calm report did not reduce the planning behind the crime. They pointed to the journal, testimony about firearm practice and evidence that she waited for her father’s return. Deputy prosecuting attorney Emily Sullivan said at sentencing that the trial showed an extreme and elaborate degree of planning. The state also argued that the killing happened when Timothy Bradburn was not threatening his daughter and had just come home from travel.
The jury convicted Bradburn of first-degree murder in March 2026 and found that a firearm was involved. On April 2, Judge Julie McKay sentenced her to 280 months for murder and 60 months for the firearm enhancement. The total sentence was 340 months, or 28 years and four months. McKay also issued a no-contact order protecting Trace Bradburn, the defendant’s brother, who spoke in court about the damage caused by both the killing and the withdrawn abuse claims.
Trace Bradburn described Timothy Bradburn as a devoted father and said the loss followed him every day. His comments shifted the hearing from the first police call to the long effect of the crime on the family. Alyssa Bradburn declined to give a formal statement at sentencing. Reports from the courtroom described her as calm and at times smiling, even as the judge imposed the prison term and spoke about the seriousness of the crime.
The case now stands as a completed trial and sentencing in Spokane County Superior Court. Court records show restitution proceedings and appeal rights were entered after sentencing, leaving any appeal or restitution decision as the next legal step.
Author note: Last updated April 27, 2026.