Categories: U.S.

Maryland man sentenced for cold case rape, murder of mother of 4 in 1982

close Video

More evidence released linking suspect to Idaho murder crime scene

Criminal defense attorney Molly Parmer on new details in the Idaho murder case including the suspect stalking the victims’ home 12 times

A Maryland man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murder of a mother of four that went unsolved for 40 years.

Howard Jackson Bradberry Jr., 64, was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison by Howard County Circuit Court Judge Richard Bernhardt after he entered an Alford plea in July to a second-degree murder charge over the killing of 28-year-old Laney Lee McGadney in 1982, according to a press release.

An Alford plea allows a defendant to maintain his or her innocence but acknowledges that prosecutors have sufficient evidence to secure a conviction. 

McGadney, a mother of four, was seen by witnesses being abducted as she walked to the grocery store in Columbia, Maryland. Her body was discovered hours later in a vacant lot.

IDAHO MURDERS: RIDE ALONG BRYAN KOHBERGER’S SUSPECTED ROUTE HOME FROM STUDENT STABBINGS CRIME SCENE 

Howard Jackson Bradberry Jr., 64, was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison.
(Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office)

Investigators say McGadney was raped and stabbed to death.

Police collected evidence from the scene but were unable to determine a suspect, and the case went cold for decades. 

STATUE OF SEVEN-YEAR-OLD BOY WHO INSPIRED CREATION OF MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION STOLEN FROM PHOENIX HEADQUARTERS

Laney Lee McGadney, 28, was murdered in 1982.
(Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office)

Investigators from the Howard County Police Department recently revisited the evidence, and in 2021, they were able to link Bradberry to the scene using DNA from items discarded at the scene. 

“The brutal murder of Laney Lee McGadney fractured her family beyond repair and for 40 years there were very little leads in the case with no one being held responsible for her senseless killing,” State’s Attorney Rich Gibson said in the press release. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Howard County Circuit Court in Maryland.
(Google Maps)

“I want to thank Howard County police and our prosecutors for working so diligently on this case. We know today’s sentencing cannot bring back the matriarch of this family, but we do hope it provides some much-needed closure for her 4 kids, 22 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren knowing Bradberry will spend the rest of his life in prison for the innocent life he took and heinous crime he committed.”

Andrew Mark Miller is a writer at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

Share

Recent Posts

Don’t fall for fake settlement sites that steal your data

Sometimes, data breaches result in more than just free credit monitoring. Recently, Facebook began paying…

3 hours ago

Google Maps vs Waze vs Apple Maps: Which is best?

Navigation apps have become an essential part of modern life. Whether you are commuting to…

5 hours ago

Australian construction robot Charlotte can 3D print 2,150-sq-ft home in one day using sustainable materials

Construction robots are no longer a far-off idea. They're already changing job sites by tackling…

2 days ago

Ethernet vs Wi-Fi security comparison reveals surprising results for home users seeking protection

We spend so much time online that how we connect to the internet has become…

2 days ago

Flying drones take aim at retail theft

Shoplifting has long been a challenge for retailers, but a U.S. company now believes that…

2 days ago

How malicious party invites target your inbox

Cybercriminals are getting sneakier, and one of their latest tricks is using fake invitation emails…

2 days ago