'Found him without his head': Man killed and dismembered his 'only friend' and then left his remains in the desert

An Arizona antheral volition beryllium spending respective decades down bars for killing his champion person and past dismembering the victim earlier dumping his remains extracurricular a godforsaken town.

Late past month, Samuel Bush, 24, pleaded blameworthy to 1 number each of murder successful the 2nd degree and aggravated battle implicit the decease of 24-year-old Alijah Bradley. Earlier this week, helium was sentenced to 25 years successful situation connected the execution condemnation and 15 years successful situation connected the battle condemnation by Maricopa County Judge Barbara Spencer.

The underlying incidental occurred successful Gilbert, a ample suburb located astir 22 miles southeast of Phoenix successful Maricopa County.

On Aug. 12, 2024, Bradley went missing. The unfortunate had conscionable celebrated his day the time earlier and precocious graduated from Northern Arizona University. He was formally reported missing by his household 3 days aboriginal aft failing to telephone his parent and archer her bully morning, arsenic was his regular habit. Investigators judge Bradley was changeable and killed the precise archetypal time helium missed that habitual telephone call.

Bush changeable Bradley successful the backmost connected the time successful question, according to expansive assemblage documents obtained by autarkic Phoenix-based TV presumption KTVK and section CBS affiliate KPHO, which collectively broadcast arsenic "Arizona's Family."

After the shooting, Bush purchased a reciprocating saw astatine a location betterment store, according to the charging documents. With that saw, the slayer past removed his friend's limbs and head.

Then, the slain man's assemblage was dumped conscionable eastbound of Gila Bend, a sparsely populated municipality located immoderate 90 miles southwest of Gilbert.

The victim's household was speedy to fishy Bush. One comparative said Bradley's parent utilized the Life360 app to ping his phone, an anonymous comparative told Arizona's Family. The telephone was powered disconnected but provided its past known determination arsenic Bush's apartment.

Bradley's household archetypal contacted Bush, who disclaimed immoderate cognition astir the disappearance. After that, they contacted Toyota to inquire for GPS coordinates for the missing man's car. The automaker agreed, and that accusation was provided to instrumentality enforcement.

That comparative described the determination arsenic "the mediate of nowhere" successful comments to the TV station.

Bradley's headless assemblage was recovered connected Aug. 19, 2024.

"I was told his origin of decease was getting changeable successful the backmost and that they recovered him without his head," the comparative said. "And thing truthful cruel and truthful graphic, similar it's astir brainsick to deliberation that idiosyncratic is susceptible of doing that."

That household subordinate was astatine a nonaccomplishment to explicate wherefore the sidesplitting occurred.

"He was Sam's champion friend," she told the station. "He was Sam's lone friend."

A since-disabled GoFundMe for ceremonial and different expenses describes Bradley, an technologist by training, arsenic "a agleam and beloved soul."

"Alijah was known for his escaped tone and chaotic soul, and his nonaccomplishment is profoundly felt by each who knew him," the fundraiser reads. "As his household navigates this unimaginable grief, they are besides faced with the fiscal burdens that travel with specified a tragedy."

On Aug. 20, 2024, Bush was arrested connected drug-related charges.

Days later, the since-convicted antheral was charged by constabulary successful transportation with Bradley's murder. The suspect was formally indicted successful September 2024. Charges were dismissed connected a question by the authorities successful April 2025. Additional details came to airy successful the autumn past year, Law&Crime previously reported.

Bush was re-indicted connected a somewhat antithetic — and smaller — slate of charges successful January of this year, Maricopa County tribunal records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

On Monday, Bush was besides sentenced to 5 years successful situation for 2 unrelated cause convictions including manufacturing and usage of a limb successful a drug-related crime, according to tribunal records.

The suspect received 542 days of recognition for clip spent successful pretrial detention, according to a courtroom study by Phoenix-based NBC affiliate KPNX.

"It's devastating. He was conscionable opening his adulthood," Bradley's aunt told Phoenix-based ABC affiliate KNXV. "I don't consciousness a alleviation oregon thing due to the fact that it doesn't bring him back. It doesn't hole anything."