A judge on Thursday ordered William Bradley, 56, to stand trial for murder in the 2020 brutal death of a man in Bradley’s apartment. (Spenser Heaps, Deseret News.)
Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake man accused of brutally killing another man inside his apartment has been ordered to stand trial for murder.
Third District Judge Vernice Trease bound over William Bradley, 56, on charges of murder, a first-degree felony, on Thursday as well as four counts of assault by a prisoner, a third-degree felony, after he allegedly attacked hospital workers and police shortly after his arrest.
A detective testified during a preliminary hearing that police approached Bradley after apartment managers reported that he was driving away on a stolen golf cart and was covered in blood. Because of the amount of blood, which was not consistent with Bradley’s injuries, police began looking for a victim and found Robert Carter, 58, dead in Bradley’s apartment on April 10, 2020, underneath furniture, Salt Lake police detective Nathan Wiley said.
He said there was blood on multiple items around the house and broken furniture.
Police initially reported that Carter was killed in “an extremely violent and brutal manner.” The death was determined to be a homicide, and autopsy results said that he was killed by sharp force and blunt force trauma.
Defense attorney Michael Colby asked Wiley if it was possible that Bradley was acting in self-defense, pointing out that a window was broken inward. Wiley said there was limited evidence that Bradley could have acted in self-defense, and the wounds on Carter and Bradley were not consistent with Bradley acting in self-defense.
After the judge ruled that she’d heard enough evidence for the case to go to trial, she entered not guilty pleas on Bradley’s behalf.
Carter was believed to be homeless and there was no evidence that the two men previously knew each other. A doctor at the emergency room where Bradley was taken determined that he was likely high on methamphetamine and had not slept for days, according to a police affidavit.
×
