In the early morning hours of April 11, 2024, 70-year-old Gary Neil Bradt was shot and killed in the entryway of his home near Saddlehorn Drive and Dusty Trail in Freedom, Oklahoma. Deputies arrived after reports of gunfire around 4:00 a.m. and found Bradt deceased at the scene. Also inside the residence was 19-year-old Timothy Lane Wilcox, critically injured in a recliner; he later died of his wounds.

Investigators determined the incident was a planned robbery aimed at stealing firearms from Bradt’s home. Within hours three suspects were arrested about 28 miles south of Freedom, near Cheyenne Valley: 20-year-old Elijah Mann, 23-year-old Christopher Padilla, and a 17-year-old female. Padilla was reported to have had bloodstains on his hands and admitted they were Bradt’s. All three were charged with first-degree murder with deliberate intent.

Additional arrests followed: on June 20, 2024, 22-year-old Mia Ruth Davis was charged with conspiracy to commit a felony and two counts of aiding and abetting felony murder, and on June 25, 2024, 20-year-old Grant David Gallagher surrendered to authorities. The community has rallied around the victims’ families. If anyone knew Bradt or Wilcox, or has information about the robbery plan, please come forward.