Keith Bradley
Charleston County, South Carolina
Date of Crime: May 2002
Keith Renard Bradley was convicted of murdering Miriam Leeks and
sentenced to life in prison. Leeks, a 37-year-old homeless woman, was
found bludgeoned to death in a wooded area off of Willtown Road in Adams
Run, SC. Her body was wrapped in garbage bags and sheets.
Bradley's conviction was due to the testimony of two incentivized witnesses
which contradicted the testimony of the witness who reported the murder and
who had no known incentive for coming forward. All the other evidence
in the case was exculpatory of Bradley.
The investigation into Leeks murder went cold until 2006 when a man named
Boris Lopez told police that years earlier, in May 2002, while living in a
North Charleston trailer park, he looked out his window and witnessed a
murder that occurred next door. It is conjectured, though not proven,
that the murder Lopez witnessed was that of Leeks. Police found that
Lopez's neighbor at the time was Cynthia Major. Major implicated Hans
Frazier and Keith Bradley as the men who were at her home on the night of
the murder. Major said Bradley came to her home in a burgundy car.
Major was charged as an accessory after the fact of murder.
Partial fingerprints and a palm print were found on a trash bag that had
been on Leeks' upper body. The fingerprints were determined not to
have come from Bradley. The palm print was used to exclude nine other
suspects, but police never compared it to Bradley's palm print. A
defense analyst testified that in his opinion the palm print did not come
from Bradley. There were at least three different DNA profiles taken
from semen recovered on a vaginal swab of Leeks. None matched Bradley
or Frazier. DNA profiles were also found on the sheet that covered
Leeks. Bradley was positively excluded from these profiles.
Lopez testified that he saw two black males beat a woman, drag her body to a
blue Volvo, put her inside the Volvo, then drive away. Major owned a
blue Volvo. Lopez said he never saw another car at Major's home that
night. He also said one of the black males was tall and slim while the
other was a little shorter with a more muscular body. Both Bradley and
Frazier were 5'11" tall. Lopez said he did not report the murder
earlier for fear of retaliation. He said his home was burglarized four
times while he lived next to Major and acknowledged that one of Major's sons
was charged in one of the burglaries.
Major testified that Bradley came into her home on the night of the murder
wearing bloody clothes and that he changed his clothes, taking his bloody
clothes with him. She also testified that six of her kids and four of
her neighbor's kids were in her home that night.
Frazier testified he committed the murder with Bradley. He said he and
Bradley picked up Leeks after agreeing to give her drugs in exchange for
sex. The threesome went to Major's house where Bradley gave Leeks
crack cocaine which she smoked. Leeks, however, hesitated to do her
end of the deal. Frazier said both he and Bradley hit Leeks.
After Leeks fell to the ground, Bradley got a shovel and beat her on the
head with it. The two men then put Leeks in Bradley's burgundy Toyota,
drove to the country, and disposed of her body. Frazier testified he
lied many times during his statements to police. [8/09]
References: Case Summary,
Post and Courier
Posted in:
Victims of the State,
South Carolina Cases