[Narrator] A single mother
finds love with a wealthy doctor.
[Corey] Things were going really well for them.
They lived a lavish lifestyle. They had a successful business.
We're gonna be rich, we're gonna to be well-known;
life's gonna be great.
[Narrator] Until their fairytale life
suddenly erupts with a violent death.
She was hysterical. She had blood on her.
She was frantic.
We were being told it was spousal abuse
and one was defending herself.
[Narrator] As detectives talk to witnesses,
they wonder who is telling the truth.
He believed someone was tryin' to harm him.
And he didn't know who it was.
My experience tells me that there's more to this story
than what they're tellin' me.
[Narrator] But when a young witness
finally breaks her silence, is it too late?
The women are plotting to kill some of the key witnesses.
She had a way of getting people to do what she wanted.
She scared the daylights outta me.
They suggested that I didn't go anywhere until after the trial.
So, I started lookin' over my shoulder all the time.
She just wanted to cause chaos. She wanted prestige.
She wanted anything she could get
at any way she was gonna get it.
[music]
[Narrator] March 28th, 1980. Melbourne, Florida.
It's 6:15 P.M. when the Melbourne Police Department
receives a panic-stricken 911 call.
[Robert] They received a call from a Priscilla Bradford.
Who was hysterical on the phone,
sayin' that she had killed her husband.
[Narrator] Officers are dispatched,
and they quickly arrive at the home of
36-year-old Priscilla Bradford.
[Bobby] When the officer arrived on the scene,
Mrs. Bradford had blurted out,
"I killed him, or I had to kill him.
It was self defense."
[Narrator] As they get further into the home,
officers find Priscilla is not alone.
[Robert] The officer sees that there's four people,
all three women were identified.
Eden being the, Priscilla Bradford's daughter.
Joyce Cummings and Janice Gould were identified as
employees and friends of Priscilla Bradford.
I remember little snippets where the cops had arrived...
And I was sitting on the couch.
In my mind, I still didn't grasp the reality,
the enormity of this. That this is real.
[Robert] Priscilla had bruising on the face.
She had a cut on her left arm. The other two girls had bruises.
[Narrator] As officers search the home,
they quickly discover the body of Priscilla's husband,
53-year-old John Bradford.
[Robert] They found him near the kitchen on the floor,
layin' on his back.
He was dead.
He had several injuries to his head and torso, upper torso.
[Eden] I saw the whole scene.
I saw John.
He had a significant amount of blood loss from the head,
and facial injuries he sustained.
It was horrific.
It, it really was.
It was a, it was just a bloody mess.
He was unrecognizable.
[Narrator] The officers summon detectives
to the chaotic scene.
[Robert] All we know right then and there
is that we have a one person
laying dead on the floor of his home.
And that Priscilla Bradford hysterically is sayin'
she had to do it to defend herself.
[Bobby] You start breakin' everything down
and see if everything fits together,
the stories that are bein' told to you.
There's so many different things going on and,
and it's like a big giant puzzle
and you gotta put all the pieces together.
[music]
[Narrator] John Bradford was born in 1926,
in Crowell, Texas.
[Eden] My stepfather, Doctor John Bradford,
was from a very large family.
These were really devout, strong Texan men.
Good caliber of people.
Given that strong work ethic,
John decided to pursue a career in the medical field.
[Narrator] After obtaining a degree in optometry,
John moved to Florida with his first wife,
where he opened his first practice.
[Eden] His office was in Melbourne, Florida.
His focus was to make sure people could see well.
And he would do anything he could to help them.
[Narrator] After almost 30 years of marriage
and having raised two kids together,
John and his first wife divorced.
[Eden I think that that was amicable
because they had children together.
Of course, they were grown.
But he and his ex-wife would remain in contact.
[Narrator] Even after splitting his assets,
by then, John was a wealthy ma.
Dr. Bradford had a lucrative and successful practice
as an optometrist.
And he liked what he did.
[Narrator] In 1976,
one patient in particular caught his eye.
A striking young woman named Priscilla Hadley.
[Eden] My mother Priscilla went to go see him
to get an eye exam and get her glasses.
And that's how they met.
And they started dating pretty quickly after.
[Narrator] Priscilla Hadley was born in 1943
in Newark, New Jersey to Mildred and Ronald Hadley.
Growing up, I think my mother
had a good relationship with her parents.
She adored her dad and her mom.
[Narrator] In her early 20s,
Priscilla left the comfort of
her parents' sprawling New Jersey home
to take on the role of an army wife.
On January 11th, 1966,
Priscilla gave birth to a daughter, Eden.
[Eden] My parents met sometime
in the northeast of the country back probably around 1965.
I was born in January of '66.
My father was still active duty in the army,
so we moved to Florida sometime in the mid '70s.
My dad was gone a lot.
You know, early, early.
But by the time I started going to school,
I think he had remained stateside.
[Narrator] After over ten years together,
the marriage was falling apart.
And by the time Eden was 11, the couple divorced.
I don't know what faltered between my mother and my father
leading to their divorce.
But I don't ever remember anything really bad.
I was going into the sixth grade,
my mother was going through her divorce.
And Doctor Bradford went through his divorce.
And they met in the middle.
[Corey] Priscilla was a beautiful woman.
They started spending all their time together.
And then, you know, a few months later,
by November of '77, they were married.
I liked him.
You know, he was a really neat guy.
And he really, really worked hard at including me.
You know, as a member of his family.
[Narrator] After the wedding,
Priscilla and Eden moved into John's house.
Priscilla quickly became
an integral part of John's business.
Dr. Bradford was real attracted to
my mother's business sense, entrepreneurship,
her ideas and thoughts about things.
[Narrator] John brought Priscilla in
as a partial owner.
Together, they expanded the practice.
[Bobby] Dr. Bradford is not only a doctor,
but he had the lab there that created the,
you know, lenses for glasses and things of that nature.
[Jeffery] It was one of the only labs in town,
and I think that they were bringin' in some money.
Pretty good money.
Dr. Bradford's role in the lab was that of,
he was the owner,
and he was the doctor
that we were generally making lenses for at the lab.
My mother was just so enthralled by this whole idea,
this whole fairytale she had in her head.
"I'm gonna marry a doctor, we're gonna run a lab,
we're gonna be rich, life's gonna be great."
[Corey] Things were goin' great for John and Priscilla.
They were living a lavish life.
They were partyin', runnin' a successful business,
before it all came crashing down.
[Narrator] Now, less than three years into their marriage,
the bride has killed the groom.
Priscilla Bradford, she's hysterical.
She's in shock.
The officers also see three other women in the house.
Janice Gould, 34, and Joyce Cummings, 18.
They are both employees at the optometry lab.
And also there is Priscilla's teenage daughter, Eden.
[Narrator] When detectives arrive,
the women are being tended to by paramedics.
[Corey] Priscilla has a two-inch cut on her wrist.
She's got some bruising on her face.
And she's covered in blood.
[Robert] Joyce and Janice had bruises.
The injuries were minor.
Nothing that was, that I know of,
was showing any blood.
Priscilla, she was sayin' she had to defend herself.
The other girls that were there were stating that, you know,
they were trying to restrain him.
Because according to them,
he was gonna kill Priscilla Bradford.
[Narrator] A look at the scene around John's body
backs up Priscilla's claims of a violent confrontation.
The house was also in disarray.
Broken glass, things were thrown around.
There was a steel skillet frying pan that was broken
layin' near him.
There was a bottle capper as well near his body.
[Narrator] Although the women insist this was self defense,
detectives have to dig further to corroborate their claims.
[Robert] Lookin' at the scene of his body,
they observed the frying pan.
The bottom had been broken out of.
I guess that's what they used to strike Dr. Bradford with.
It's a heavy metal skillet.
It would surprise the detectives,
because it would take a lot of force
to break that frying pan in half.
You would have to strike continually, several times.
It appeared excessive,
because she might have felt that she needed more force
because he's a man.
But you know, would it be suspicious?
Yes.
And my experience tells me that
there's more to this story than what they're tellin' me.
[Narrator] Coming up.
Detectives encounter alarming behavior...
[Eden] My grandmother elbowed me and kinda went,
"Shh. You talk too much."
[Narrator] And the truth begins to unfold.
They just didn't get along at all.
One time I do remember her saying that he slapped her.
[music]
[Narrator] Detectives with the Melbourne Police Department
are investigating the death
of 53-year-old optometrist, John Bradford.
John's wife, Priscilla,
claims she and her two friends, Janice and Joyce,
fought back after John attacked her.
[Eden] After the police arrived,
all of us ended up at the hospital.
My grandparents also arrived at the hospital,
and believe I went home with them.
[Narrator] At the ER,
Priscilla, Joyce, and Janice are separated
and examined by doctors.
[Robert] Priscilla got cut during the confrontation.
The doctor at the hospital wants to take a picture of it
to just document that she was injured.
[Narrator] After receiving five stitches on her wrist,
a detective meets with Priscilla in her room.
Priscilla says that earlier that day,
she had been hanging with her friends,
18-year-old Joyce Cummings and 34-year-old Janice Gould.
[Eden] Janice Gould worked for my mother at the lab,
and Joyce Cummings was also just another regular lab employee.
Making glasses, running errands.
[Corey] Priscilla had invited Joyce and Janice over for drinks
and to spend some time at the pool.
And they were gonna leave before John Bradford came home.
He was expected home at 8:00,
but he ended up coming home at 5:30.
[Narrator] Priscilla says when she went inside to meet John,
it was clear an argument they had earlier was lingering.
[Robert] Priscilla says earlier in the day,
before he went to work,
they got into a big argument.
[Eden] So my mother had called Dr. Bradford and said,
"I've got some real nice steaks. We're gonna have steaks tonight.
We can talk about things."
[Robert] So when he sees who's in the house,
he becomes irate.
[Eden] Janice and Joyce heard my mother yelling for help.
And that they ran into the house and saw that he was hitting her.
They observe Dr. Bradford with the bottle capper,
about to strike Priscilla Bradford.
Priscilla said Janice steps in the way somehow,
tryin' to assist her.
And he's continuing.
Then all three women try to get him down just to make him stop.
[Narrator] Priscilla says they fought John off
until he was unconscious on the floor...
At which point, Eden came out of her room.
She says that Eden didn't see anything.
She was takin' a shower and the stereo was going.
[Narrator] When investigators attempt to speak with
Joyce and Janice,
they find the women are still in shock.
[Robert] The injuries were minor,
but they appeared at the time to be so upset.
So, they told 'em to go home, relax,
and to come in the next day and give a statement.
[Narrator] Back at the station,
detectives learn that police had been summoned to the home
several times by Priscilla and John.
In fact, they learn Priscilla reported
the most recent incident that same morning.
[Bobby] She was bruised and, and battered.
And she wanted to file a report against her husband,
Dr. Bradford.
Domestic violence was treated quite differently than it,
than it is today.
First of all, the, the victim had to file a complaint
against the person.
Then there was a follow up on the complaint itself.
However, today, if the wife had a bloody lip
and she accused her husband or live-in boyfriend of,
of assaulting her,
he would immediately be arrested by law.
Taken into custody.
[Narrator] Before police were
able to follow up on Priscilla's complaint,
Dr. Bradford was dead.
The detectives found out that
there had been problems with the marriage.
There had been domestic violence accused on both sides.
[Narrator] The day after the murder,
detectives sit down with Janice and Joyce at the station.
They start with Joyce,
and she tells detectives
she and Janice arrived at Bradford's around 4 P.M.
with plans to hang by the pool.
Joyce and Janice said they were out by the pool
when they heard John Bradford come home.
And the two began arguing.
They go running in to, to see what's going on.
They describe Dr. Bradford as raging, aggressive,
a man possessed.
Screaming that he's, he's gonna kill 'em.
[Robert] I have a lot of problems with her statement.
It's just unbelievable.
It's more like ranting and raving than,
than an actual incident.
It's like it's prepared.
We were concerned that there's something more to this story
than what everybody's saying.
Maybe they're establishing
alibies for things that are,
that are about to happen.
And we needed to take a step back and just check things out
before, you know, jumping to a conclusion that this is a,
a self defense case.
[Narrator] After getting both women on the record,
that same day,
detectives circle back to Priscilla.
Detectives felt like they need to re-interview Priscilla.
So they went to the Hadley residence,
which is the parents of Priscilla Bradford.
[Narrator] But when they arrive,
they find two familiar but unexpected faces.
Janice and Joyce were at the residence of the Hadley's
when they arrived.
We thought they were bein' extremely odd
after taking the statements of Janice and Joyce,
that they would be at the Hadley residence.
They must be telling Priscilla what they said to the police.
[Narrator] Detectives consider the possibility
that the women might be making sure their stories line up.
We're startin' to have concerns about what...
Priscilla, Janice and, and Joyce are saying.
It seems awful convenient that
they're always in cahoots with each other,
they're always with each other.
[Narrator] Priscilla repeats her account of the murder.
Priscilla Bradford's claiming that he was abusing her.
And that day, she was fightin' for her life.
[Narrator] But as they talk,
detectives note some concerning body language
between Eden and Priscilla's mother, Mildred.
[Eden] I don't recall everything that they were askin' me,
but I remember my grandmother elbowed me and kinda went, "Shh.
Talk too much. Quiet."
[Robert] Seeing the grandmother try to control Eden's statement,
now it seems that they're tryin' to hide something.
So, we would be worried about how to break this case open.
Because as long as they stick to their domestic violence story,
the self defense claim would probably stick.
[Narrator] Detectives pay a visit to the optical lab,
hoping the employees might shed some light
on the relationship between Dr. Bradford and Priscilla.
There was animosity between Priscilla and her husband.
I do remember her saying that he slapped her.
There was talk of it, but no one ever saw any evidence
of Priscilla being beaten or bruised or anything.
[Narrator] Employees say that rumors were flying
that John was preparing to leave her.
Dr. Bradford was seeking
a divorce from Priscilla Bradford.
It was known amongst the employees.
They said Priscilla also tried to file for divorce,
but later changed her mind
because it would not be profitable
for her to get a divorce.
[Narrator] And then, a bombshell is dropped.
[Corey] One of the employees told detectives
that Priscilla had been plotting ways
to get out of her marriage and hang onto the lab.
[Robert] Then you start to question
what Priscilla Bradford's saying.
Okay, now, we're gettin' to the real core of what happened.
[Narrator] Coming up.
Detectives uncover ruthless attempts
to gain control of the lab...
One of the ways they were talking were
about planting drugs in his vehicle.
[Narrator] And a witness reveals shocking details.
[Eden] They took an 8x10 color photo
that was just his head and his face.
And that was that. I lost it.
[music]
[Narrator] Two days into the investigation,
Florida detectives are growing suspicious of
Priscilla Bradford's claims
that she and two coworkers, Joyce Cummings and Janice Gould,
killed her husband John in self defense.
Investigators look into statements
of an impending divorce.
[Eden] I never heard anything vicious come out of John's mouth
about the divorce.
My mother, on the other hand?
Oh, boy. She was just very rude.
I mean, she would say this stuff in front of
technically his employees.
One of the coworkers heard Janice, Joyce, and Priscilla
talking were about planting drugs on him.
[Jeffery] Later, I found out
that the drugs were going to be planted in John's car.
In order that they could then call the police
and have him arrested for carrying these drugs around.
So, they decided to search Dr. Bradford's car
and see if the drugs had been planted there.
[Narrator] When detectives search John's vehicle,
the rumors are confirmed.
They found the drugs underneath the seat.
Now detectives are dealing with three women
that are conspiring together.
What else would they do to discredit or kill him?
[Narrator] As investigators' suspicions of Priscilla grow,
Dr. Bradford's divorce attorney
reaches out to detectives with some startling information.
[Robert] John told his attorney
that he believed Priscilla Bradford
was tryin' to kill him.
[Narrator] John's attorney tells them that
in the months leading up to John's death,
he became terrified of Priscilla.
[Eden] He was tryin' to stay away as much as possible.
Every time he'd show up,
there's my mother tellin' him how it's gonna be.
She would cut John down and bad-mouth him.
[Narrator] Just one month prior to his murder,
John's attorney says John felt worried enough
to adjust his will.
[Robert] According to the will,
Dr. Bradford removes Priscilla Bradford as having
any ownership of the business, and any ownership of the house.
And that he leaves of his assets to his daughter.
[Narrator] After changing his will,
his attorney says John wasn't completely ready
to give up on his family.
But on March 7th, three weeks before John's murder,
the attorney received a desperate phone call from hi.
[Robert] John Bradford had reported that he had been
struck in the head in his office with a 2x4.
He heard a woman's shoes, like a clicking sound.
Like a woman walkin' away.
[Narrator] His attorney says John believed it was Priscilla,
but with no proof, no charges were pressed.
Investigators look to the couple's employees
to corroborate the new information.
On April 4th, they interview Linda Martineu,
a former employee at the lab.
[Robert] We found out through Linda Martineau
that Priscilla believes
that Dr. Bradford was having an affair with Linda.
[Jeffery] They did not have an affair.
But Priscilla did make it known that she didn't like Linda.
I think that the jealousy...
Stems strictly from Priscilla...
Wanting total control over everything.
[Narrator] She also tells detectives that following
the attack with the 2x4,
John told her about another concerning event
that took place March 27th, the day before his murder.
John Bradford said that he thought that poison
had been added to his drink.
[Bobby] He actually could taste
something's wrong with the orange juice,
and he didn't drink it.
Linda, I guess, was so fearful of working there
because of Priscilla Bradford, that she ended up quitting.
[Narrator] Even as the accusations
against Priscilla stack up,
detectives need more evidence.
Investigators contact the one person
who might reveal the truth:
Eden.
Before Eden's father will let her talk to her police,
he requests immunity for her, and it's granted.
[Narrator] On April 9th,
12 days after John Bradford's murder,
detectives sit down with the 14 year old
at her father's home.
I know that I kept reciting the same sentences over and over.
That he came home, and he was beatin' her up.
[Narrator] Sensing she is holding back,
detectives try a different approach.
They took an 8x10 color photo
that was just his head and his face.
And that was that. I lost it.
I broke out cryin' and screamin' and just goin' crazy.
They shocked my system with the horror of that photo.
Then the whole story started to come out at that point.
[Narrator] Eden says
her mother's relationship with John
had really soured over the last several months.
She didn't want him anymore.
She just wanted the lab.
She thought that maybe the only way to get
the money that she wants out of it
is to not divorce him...
But kill him.
[Narrator] Eden says Priscilla put together a killing squad...
Recruiting her friends and employees,
Joyce and Janice, to help.
Joyce became involved with all of this because
Priscilla had promised her a cut of the proceeds,
and also Janice Gould.
It was all about money.
It was all about money and control.
[Narrator] Eden gives details that corroborate
the two unsuccessful attempts on John's life.
Priscilla hit John in the head with the 2x4.
John told me what happened.
He said, "You call your dad and have him come get you."
Also around that time,
one of the women gets ahold of a bunch of black beauties.
It's a speed.
I saw my mother made a big thing of orange juice,
and stirred it up.
Put the pitcher in the fridge,
and said, "Well, he will have that for breakfast."
[Narrator] When those schemes didn't work,
Eden says her mom began
laying the groundwork for a new plan...
[Eden] So, she told everybody at the lab that
Dr. Bradford had been hitting her,
but I know that was not true and that never happened.
[Narrator] On the morning of the murder,
Priscilla asked for Eden's help.
She actually asked me to hit her to quote,
"make it look like Dr. Bradford had hit her".
My mother went in and reported to them
that John had been beating her up.
If I said or did anything
contrary to what my mother wanted,
yeah, I was afraid I would have been hurt.
[Narrator] After filing the report,
Priscilla, Joyce, and Janice all gathered at
the Bradford home that afternoon.
[Eden] My mother had called Dr. Bradford and said,
"Come on home tonight. We'll talk things over.
Kinda wanna make peace."
[Narrator] Eden says she hid in the bathroom.
When John came home, the three women attacked him.
He was ambushed.
He had not a clue what was going to happen to him
when he walked through that door.
[Eden] And I was so scared about what was goin' on,
not knowing what was gonna happen next.
[Narrator] Coming up.
An innocent victim fears for her life...
If I had to tried to stop it at that moment,
I'd have been on the floor with him.
[Narrator] And later, a sting reveals the unthinkable.
[Eden] They wanted to kill off witnesses.
That's some of the whacked-out things
she had running through her head.
[music]
[Narrator] Investigators are horrified
as 14-year-old Eden Bradford
recounts the murder of her stepfather,
Dr. John Bradford,
at the hands of her mother and two of her employees.
[Eden] I had heard him come in.
I'm hiding in the bathroom.
And then, I heard a thud.
I believe that he had already been hit,
and that's when he fell down.
[Narrator] Eden tells investigators
around 15 minutes later,
Janice summoned her to the kitchen.
Janice says something to the effect that
I have to come out and help them.
"The SOB won't die."
My mother handed me the bottle capper.
She did instruct me to hit him.
And I did, two, maybe three times.
If I had to tried to stop it at that moment,
she definitely would have killed me, too.
No doubt about it.
[Narrator] Even as all four women
took turns attacking John, he clung to life.
That's when Eden says Priscilla called her mother, Mildred.
My mother, in so many words,
told her that Dr. Bradford was murdered and he wouldn't die.
But my mother said that
my grandmother told her over the phone
to hit him until they think he's dead,
and then wait about 10 minutes before calling for an ambulance.
We know now that Priscilla, Janice and Joyce
have conspired to commit murder,
and we felt that we had enough evidence
to arrest them for murder.
[Narrator] On April 10th, 1980,
two weeks after John's murder,
Joyce is arrested at the lab.
Priscilla and Janice are arrested later,
at Priscilla's home.
[Robert] They didn't resist.
They knew they were bein' charged with murder.
[Bobby] Priscilla was very subdued, not talkative at all.
It was just like, "You got me," you know?
The game's over.
[Eden] I was told my mother had been arrested.
And I immediately broke out crying.
I still did not have a concept of I was never gonna go home.
[Narrator] A few months after the arrest,
detectives receive a shocking tip
from Joyce's cellmate.
She reveals that Joyce, Priscilla, and Janice
came to her with an unexpected request.
While in Jail Priscilla, Janice and Joyce ask her
if she knew someone that could put a hit,
meaning kill witnesses that were gonna testify against them.
[Narrator] Stunned, the woman agreed...
But instead, she went straight to the police.
The women are plotting to kill some of the key witnesses.
And Priscilla wants to kill her own daughter.
All three women were in the same jail awaiting trial.
They were able to converse with each other.
So, we knew that all three took part in it.
[Eden] They wanted to kill off witnesses and
people who were going to testify,
including two detectives and his employees, as well.
[Narrator] Investigators work with Joyce's cellmate
to set up a sting.
[Robert] We then set it up with this person in the jail
to go back and tell them that we did know someone
that could do the job.
The payment for the job was gonna be $2,000.
Joyce's cell mate tells her
to have someone drop off the money in a phone booth,
so that the hitman can come and get it.
They had me go undercover as the hitman.
[music]
[Narrator] But when detectives see who Priscilla sent
to drop off the money,
they are in disbelief.
At the time, I was sittin' outside this restaurant
where the phone booth was, and I witnessed
Priscilla's mother come out of the restaurant
and place the money in the phone booth.
After she went back inside,
I went inside the phone booth and got the money,
and drove it to the police station.
I was a little surprised that Mildred Hadley was involved.
You know, matter of fact, I was a little angry.
[Narrator] Prosecutors add solicitation of murder
to the charges against Priscilla, Joyce, and Janice.
But they decide to not pursue charges
against Mildred Hadley.
They weren't certain, given her age,
if she even had the mental capacity
to understand what she was doing
and what she was bein' asked to do.
[Narrator] Unsure whether Priscilla will try again,
detectives advise all of the witnesses to lay low.
The detectives even suggested
that I didn't go anywhere until after the trial.
I started looking over my shoulder all the time.
I felt fear, you know, 'cause I already saw what she could do.
And she had a way of getting people to do what she wanted.
She scared the daylights outa me.
[Narrator] Coming up.
Priscilla tries to make a deal.
[Bobby] She knew the game was over,
but she wanted to keep from getting the electric chair.
[Narrator] But one accomplice take a different approach.
[Eden] Her whole life is about to be thrown away
'cause she listened to this crazy woman.
[music]
[Narrator] Priscilla Bradford,
along with her two co-conspirators,
Janice Gould and Joyce Cummings are behind bars,
and they are all awaiting trial
for the brutal murder of Priscilla's husband, John.
As prosecutors get ready for trial,
they zero in on identifying Priscilla's motive.
She just wanted to cause chaos. She wanted that lab.
She wanted money. She wanted prestige.
[Bobby] She was hellbent on doin' this guy in,
to try to eliminate him.
Not only from the business, but from life itself.
[Narrator] Priscilla used her money
and her position to lure her accomplices into her plot.
[Eden] Janice was a single aunt, and was raising a small child.
Joyce was on her own, you know,
didn't have anyone to provide for her.
And I think that the job at the lab
gave them that stability.
[Narrator] The possibility of landing on Death Row
proves to be too much for Priscilla and Janice.
In August, they both plead guilty to John's murder.
[Bobby] Mrs. Bradford, she knew the game was over.
Her daughter was a prime witness in this case,
she wanted to work out some kind of a deal.
To keep from getting the electric chair
or gettin' the needle in the arm.
[Narrator] On August 4th, 1980,
Priscilla and Janice are sentenced.
[Corey] Priscilla and Janice both pled guilty,
received life sentences each for the murder of John Bradford.
[Narrator] But Joyce chooses a different approach,
and takes her chances at trial.
[Eden] Joyce, probably because of her youth,
fought it and said, "No, I'm goin' to trial."
She was 18, 19 years old.
Her whole life is about to be thrown away
'cause she listened to this crazy woman,
but she had a choice.
[Narrator] Eden takes the stand to testify against
her mother's accomplice,
which is all the jury needs to hear.
On August 14th, Joyce is convicted of murder.
[Robert] Joyce Cummings got 25 years and, to life,
and for the solicitation, she got 15 years.
[Narrator] With all three women behind bars,
14-year-old Eden is left to pick up the pieces.
[Eden] I was probably upset.
I was probably sad that I'm probably never going to see
my mother again.
You know, she was still my mother.
What she took away from Eden was her...
Her childhood, basically.
And that's a crime in itself.
When my dad and stepmother realized, you know,
"I think she's gonna be stayin' here."
They started making arrangements.
And when I got away from her,
I realized there was a whole great big world out here
and there was a lot of good in it.
[Narrator] In July 2007,
Priscilla Bradford dies in prison.
She had developed a major lung infection that had spread.
And so, she was pretty much on life support.
The last time I ever spoke with Priscilla
was four days before she died.
And she couldn't speak, but she knew I was there.
She knew that it was me.
John has been remembered as a good man, a great doctor,
a wonderful relative.
He loved his heritage.
He loved where he was from.
I think John loved life.
[music]