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Penny Waldroup's estranged husband Bradley Waldroup, or Brad, was charged with one count of voluntary manslaughter, among others, after he attacked his wife and murdered her friend Leslie Bradshaw on Friday, October 13, 2006. Bradley shot Leslie eight times after he accused her of breaking his marriage.
Season 1 of No One Can Hear You Scream on Investigation Discovery is set to delve deeper into the murder and attempted murder case with its first episode, which will air on Monday, October 17, 2022.
Titled Murder on Kimsey Mountain, the official synopsis of the episode reads:
"Although Penny Waldroup makes every effort to leave her abusive husband Brad, she still needs to see him for the sake of their children. When she pays him a visit at his remote mountain home, she's about to find out just how much he will go to keep her from leaving."
Penny Waldroup's husband, Bradley attempted to shoot her and attacked her with a knife
On Friday, October 13, 2006, Penny Waldroup went to drop her kids off at Bradley's place along with Leslie Bradshaw. As the two women unloaded the kids' belongings and prepared to leave, Bradley told Penny Waldroup that they needed to talk. When Penny Waldroup showed her reluctance, Bradley took out a rifle and shot at the ladies. Penny managed to escape the firing, but Leslie died on the spot.
After doing away with Leslie, Bradley went after Penny Waldroup and shot her in the back as she tried to escape. He then hurt her with a pocket knife, which was later hurled away by Penny Waldroup. Bradley took a shovel and hit Penny on the head multiple times as well. Penny lost her pinky finger in the attack.
He dragged her back into the trailer in Kimsey Mountain, where he asked the kids to say goodbye to their mother. Bradley wanted to have s*xual intercourse with Penny before killing her and took her into the bedroom. It was at that moment that a police officer arrived.
Penny Waldroup ran out of the trailer, seeking help from the officer to protect her and her children. Bradley then turned himself in and confessed to killing Leslie, after which he was arrested.
Prosecutors charged him with felony murder, which carried the death penalty, and the attempted first-degree murder of Penny. They argued that Bradley's actions were intentional and premeditated.
Prosecutor Cynthia Lecroy-Schemel told NPR:
"There were numerous things he did around the crime scene that were conscious choices. One of them was [that] he told his children to 'come tell your mama goodbye,' because he was going to kill her. And he had the gun, and he had the machete."
Other charges leveled at Bradley Waldroup, and his conviction
Bradley was also charged with the attempted first-degree murder of his wife Penny Waldroup but was reduced to attempted second-degree murder during the pronunciation of his sentence.
The defense resorted to biological proof of mental illness and child abuse as the primary reasons behind why Bradley "snapped" and attacked Leslie and Penny.
According to the website The Chattanoogan, Bradley said that he was angry because of Penny's confession of being in a lesbian relationship with Leslie, and thus, accused Leslie of "meddling in our marriage."
The defense's argument that Bradley suffered from "intermittent explosive disorder" resonated with the jury. His attorney brought forensic psychiatrist William Bernet of Vanderbilt University to testify about the former's mental health condition.
Bernet explained that a "warrior gene" was found in Bradley's DNA. The "warrior gene" is a variant of the MAO-A gene, and is usually associated with violence.
Bernet said:
"His genetic makeup, combined with his history of child abuse, together created a vulnerability that he would be a violent adult. A person doesn't choose to have this particular gene or this particular genetic makeup. A person doesn't choose to be abused as a child. So I think that should be taken into consideration when we're talking about criminal responsibility."
Prosecutor Drew Robinson said that "more of this information" was put in place before the jury ran the risk of confusing them. Robinson thus, brought his own expert, psychiatrist Terry Holmes, the clinical director of the Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Holmes argued that Bradley was intoxicated and had planned on hurting the victims and that his actions were not linked to his genetic makeup.
But members of the jury told NPR that the biological evidence acted as a deal-breaker for them. As one of the jurors told the publication:
"I remember when we were talking as a jury, the comment was brought up, 'You know, if I were in this situation, I would snap.' But there was more to it. There was more to his whole life that led to that moment."
The psychological theory of nature versus nurture also contributed to the jury's decision that Bradley was not in control of his actions.
Bradley Waldroup was thus convicted of voluntary manslaughter, attempted second-degree murder, and two counts of aggravated kidnapping. One count of aggravated kidnapping, with regard to Leslie, was challenged by Bradley on the grounds that Leslie was not confined by him in the literal sense of the term despite throwing away the car keys.
One of the counts of aggravated kidnapping was reversed by a court in 2013 and remanded to a trial court to be followed under certain instructions noted in the new ruling.
No One Can Hear Your Scream is set to be released on Investigation Discovery on October 17, 2022.
