Inset left: Samuel Stephen Bush (Maricopa County Sheriff”s Office). Inset right: Alijah Bradley (GoFundMe). Background: A desert area east of Gila Bend, Ariz. near where Bradley’s remains were discovered (Google Maps).
Gruesome new details have been revealed in a grim murder case out of Arizona where a man allegedly killed his best friend and then dismembered him before dumping his remains outside a desert town.
Samuel Stephen Bush, 24, stands accused of one count each of murder in the first degree, abandonment or concealment of a dead body, and tampering with physical evidence, according to prosecutors.
The underlying incident occurred in Gilbert – a large suburb located roughly 22 miles southeast of Phoenix in Maricopa County.
On Aug. 12, 2024, Alijah Bradley, 24, went missing – the day after his birthday. The victim had recently graduated from Northern Arizona University and was formally reported missing by his family three days later after failing to call his mother and tell her good morning, as was his daily habit. Investigators believe Bradley was shot and killed by Bush on the first day he missed that habitual phone call.
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Bush is alleged to have shot Bradley in the back that day, according to grand jury documents recently obtained by independent Phoenix-based TV station KTVK and local CBS affiliate KPHO, which collectively broadcast as “Arizona’s Family.”
Following the shooting, Bush is said to have purchased a reciprocating saw at a home improvement store, prosecutors allege. With that saw, the alleged killer then removed his friend’s limbs and head, according to the court documents.
Then, the slain man’s body was dumped just east of Gila Bend – a sparsely-populated town located some 90 miles southwest of Gilbert.
Family members were quick to suspect the man eventually charged. A 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 allegedly provided its last known location as Bush’s apartment.
Bradley’s family said they first contacted Bush, who disclaimed any knowledge about the disappearance. So, 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-related 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. Later, he was charged with second-degree murder.
The latest charges reflect an allegedly planned-out killing.
“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.”
Jason Kandel contributed to this report.
