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Inset left: Samuel Stephen Bush (Maricopa County Sheriff”s Office). Inset right: Alijah Bradley (GoFundMe). Background: A desert area east of Gila Bend near where Bradley’s remains were discovered (Google Maps).
An Arizona man, Samuel Bush, 24, has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term for the brutal murder and dismemberment of his best friend, Alijah Bradley. The crime, which shocked the local community, involved Bush killing Bradley and disposing of his remains in the desert.
Last month, Bush entered a guilty plea for second-degree murder and aggravated assault charges related to the tragic death of his 24-year-old friend. Maricopa County Judge Barbara Spencer handed down a sentence of 25 years for the murder and an additional 15 years for the assault, earlier this week.
The crime unfolded in the suburb of Gilbert, Arizona, situated approximately 22 miles southeast of Phoenix. The incident dates back to August 12, 2024, when Bradley was reported missing. Just a day after celebrating his birthday and recently achieving a degree from Northern Arizona University, Bradley vanished, prompting concern when he failed to make his customary morning call to his mother. Authorities suspect that he was killed on the very day he missed this regular communication.
According to records from a grand jury, as reported by the local channels KTVK and KPHO under the collective banner of “Arizona’s Family,” Bush shot Bradley in the back. The grim details of the case have left the community in disbelief and mourning the loss of a young life with promising prospects.
Bush shot Bradley in the back on the day in question, according to grand jury documents obtained by independent Phoenix-based TV station KTVK and local CBS affiliate KPHO, which collectively broadcast as “Arizona’s Family.”
After the shooting, Bush purchased a reciprocating saw at a home improvement store, according to the charging documents. With that saw, the killer then removed his friend’s limbs and head.
Then, the slain man’s body was dumped just east of Gila Bend, a sparsely populated town located some 90 miles southwest of Gilbert.
The victim’s family was quick to suspect Bush. One relative said Bradley’s mother used the Life360 app to ping his phone, an anonymous relative told Arizona’s Family. The phone was powered off but provided its last known location as Bush’s apartment.
Bradley’s family first contacted Bush, who disclaimed any knowledge about the disappearance. After that, they contacted Toyota to ask for GPS coordinates for the missing man’s car. The automaker agreed, and that information was provided to law enforcement.
That relative described the location as “the middle of nowhere” in comments to the TV station.
Bradley’s headless body was found on Aug. 19, 2024.
“I was told his cause of death was getting shot in the back and that they found him without his head,” the relative said. “And something so cruel and so graphic, like it’s almost crazy to think that somebody is capable of doing that.”
That family member was at a loss to explain why the killing occurred.
“He was Sam’s best friend,” she told the station. “He was Sam’s only friend.”
A since-disabled GoFundMe for funeral and other expenses describes Bradley, an engineer by training, as “a bright and beloved soul.”
“Alijah was known for his free spirit and wild soul, and his loss is deeply felt by all who knew him,” the fundraiser reads. “As his family navigates this unimaginable grief, they are also faced with the financial burdens that come with such a tragedy.”
On Aug. 20, 2024, Bush was arrested on drug-related charges.
Days later, the since-convicted man was charged by police in connection with Bradley’s murder. The defendant was formally indicted in September 2024. Charges were dismissed on a motion by the state in April 2025. Additional details came to light in the fall last year, Law&Crime previously reported.
Bush was re-indicted on a slightly different — and smaller — slate of charges in January of this year, Maricopa County court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
On Monday, Bush was also sentenced to five years in prison for two unrelated drug convictions including manufacturing and use of a weapon in a drug-related crime, according to court records.
The defendant received 542 days of credit for time spent in pretrial detention, according to a courtroom report by Phoenix-based NBC affiliate KPNX.
“It’s devastating. He was just beginning his adulthood,” Bradley’s aunt told Phoenix-based ABC affiliate KNXV. “I don’t feel a relief or anything because it doesn’t bring him back. It doesn’t fix anything.”