I dumped lover for death row murderer
BRIT MUM DUMPS LOVER FOR KILLER ON DEATH ROW...
A BRITISH mum has dumped her partner for her death row pen pal in America – and is fighting to get him a retrial so that they can be together.
Katie Menham met convicted killer Julius Bradford online in January.
The 31- year- old, who was found guilty of first- degree murder and attempted robbery, has been awaiting execution in High Desert State Prison, Nevada, since 2004.
But Katie, 25, believes he is “a good person” and would be happy for him to meet her four-year old son Alfie.
She said: “I never thought you could have such a strong bond with someone you’ve never met but this is special. I can’t explain it but it’s so powerful.
“Nothing would make me happier than for him to win his appeal so we can meet and let our relationship grow into love and marriage.
“I don’t expect everyone to understand it and I’m not condoning Julius’s crimes, but I take people as I find them – and what I see is an intelligent, thoughtful person who got into the wrong crowd as a teen.
Ambushed
“I would never leave my boyfriend and risk criticism from friends and family if I wasn’t sure Julius was worth it. You can’t help who you fall for.”
Katie, from Malmesbury, Wilts, had been with engineer Ben, 24, for two years and was planning to marry him.
But then she met Bradford through a pen pal service for death row inmates called WriteAPrisoner.com. She claims that at first, because she is a counselling and psychotherapy student, she was just interested in the workings of the criminal mind.
But as the pair exchanged dozens of letters, romance blossomed.
In a court case 13 years ago, it emerged that Bradford and two accomplices ambushed a 48-year-old father of seven and attempted to rob him before shooting him dead.
Despite his violent past, Katie said she has developed “an unstoppable connection” with him. So much so that she split with Ben, who did not want to give his surname, last month.
Katie said: “I didn’t go looking to find a relationship of any kind and I didn’t expect this. I am sorry for how it ended with my last relationship but now I have to focus on Julius and my son. They are my future.
“Despite his violent past, I would have no problem with him meeting Alfie. I’d hold Julius to the same standards as anyone else.
“If I trust him, of course I’ll let him be around Alfie. If our connection is as strong in person as it is long distance, we have found something very rare.”
But before they can begin their new life, Katie must raise enough money to get Bradford a top lawyer. He has put in an application for appeal, meaning he could face a retrial next year.
Katie added: “I’m fund-raising to get him a decent lawyer. I believe mistakes were made in his trial and I hope the new evidence brings that to light.
“I will do everything in my power to get him his freedom so that we can focus on our future together.”
Katie said she decided to write to a death row inmate after watching a US prison documentary in January.
She admits Ben – with whom she had discussed marriage and children – didn’t understand why she would want a prisoner for a pen pal. She said: “He told me it would be dangerous to make contact with a killer and he didn’t want me to get involved with someone like that. I’m quite an open-minded and accepting person while my boyfriend was a bit more suspicious, so I just put it down to our differences.
“I wasn’t shocked when I heard what Julius had done as I knew whichever death row inmate I wrote to would have committed a serious crime.
“But I read how Julius hadn’t been the one to actually pull the trigger. He’d gotten involved with gangs at an early age and looking at his photo, I saw pain in his eyes and I wanted to help.”
Katie submitted the address of the home she shared with Alfie and sent her first letter to Bradford that month.
Emotional
Three weeks later, a reply landed on her doormat. She said: “It was covered in stamps from the prison and I was so nervous I just stared at it for two hours. “When I finally opened it I saw loads of smiley faces on the page and I burst into tears – it was so emotional. “I was overwhelmed by his articulate and thoughtful response, and flattered he felt able to confide in me. Once I started writing my reply the next day, I found myself telling him things I’d normally never tell a stranger.”
By March, the pair were exchanging notes thick and fast, which Katie hid under her bed so she would not be found out. By mid March, she was living in fear of Bradford being given an execution date.
Katie said: “By then it felt like I’d known him for years and the thought of losing him was terrifying. It was easy to forget he was a convicted criminal when we were writing. Then suddenly I’d remember he was on death row and panic he’d be taken from me.
“Some nights I lay awake and thought about him alone in that cell and it broke
I saw pain in his eyes in his photo and I wanted to help
He deserves a second chance and maybe we can have a future
my heart.” That month, Bradford offered to pay a 25 dollar fee from his allowance to speed up the prison’s letter vetting process, meaning the pair would receive word from each other more quickly.
Katie said: “By then I was sending him stuff whenever I thought of him, be it silly notes or long, rambling letters.”
As the relationship with her pen pal deepened, the one with her boyfriend fell apart. She said: “I was a full-time mum and studying for my degree online. Every other moment I had was spent writing to Julius, searching for updates on his case and thinking about him.
“My boyfriend and I started having arguments because I never had time for him any more. In the middle of April, things came to a head and he asked me to stop talking to Julius. I realised my feelings for from him were more than just friendship. When push came to shove, I couldn’t give Julius up.”
Later that month, Bradford’s public attorney filed an appeal for a retrial, on the basis of new evidence. If approved, he could win release as early as next year.
Unbearable
Katie has now started Facebook page Free Julius Bradford, which already has 1,300 members.
She has also started a petition via change.org called Get Julius Bradford Off Death Row Before It’s Too Late, which has 27 signatures.
She remains positive, adding: “To give him every chance of succeeding, I am planning to fund-raise to get him the best legal representation possible. I know there’s a possibility of his life being taken before we ever get to meet properly and that thought is unbearable.
“But I can’t afford to go over and see him just yet because all the money I raise has to go towards getting him the best legal team I can get.”
However, Katie admits that the responses to her Facebook campaign have been mixed.
She said: “My mum has been supportive throughout because she trusts that I know what I’m doing and nothing she says will make me stop writing to Julius.
“My dad was harder to convince. He worries I’m too attached to Julius and it would destroy me if he was executed, but he’s coming round to the idea. “If friends don’t agree with what I’m doing, that’s fine. I know that what I’m doing is controversial and can’t expect everyone to get on board. But as my friends, they should at least try to understand. “It’s frustrating because I know he’s a good man and sometimes I feel like I’m the only one who can see that. “I’m not denying what Julius did was wrong but let’s not forget he’s already served 13 years in prison. “I believe he deserves a second chance and maybe then we can have a happy future together as well.”