WALKER COUNTY HOMICIDE

On July 29,2014, at approximately 1 1 :15am, Walker County Dispatch received a call from a man who
was requesting assistance for himself and his wife. Walker County Sheriff s Office deputies along
with other agencies responded to the location in the 4700 block of FM 1374 and discovered that a
woman had been killed at that location. Deputies made contact with the caller, identified as William
Bradham, who indicated that his nephew had killed his wife and attacked him, choking him until he
was unconscious. Mr. Bradham told the deputies that the nephew was probably still on the property.
Deputies entered the home and found a white female, later identified as sixty – one year old Linda
Bradham, deceased in a bedroom. Mrs. Bradham appeared to have suffered some type of cutting
injuries as well as blunt force injures to her head and upper body. Deputies then conducted a search of
the property and located the nephew, identified as thirty-six year old Todd Leatherland, hiding in a tree
on the property. Leatherland, in an attempt to flee from officers, jumped from the tree and was then
detained by the deputies. Walker County Sheriff s Office detectives along with the Texas Rangers
began an investigation and subsequently recovered a large knife inside the home believed to be the
weapon used to cause the injuries to Mrs. Bradham. William Bradham was transported to Huntsville
Memorial Hospital where he was treated for injuries he received during the assault. Leatherland
suffered injuries as a result of the fall and was transported to Huntsville Memorial Hospital and later to
St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bryan, Texas for treatment. A joint investigation is being conducted by the
Walker County Sheriff s Office, the Walker County District Attorney’s Office and the Texas Rangers.