Inset left: Samuel Stephen Bush (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office). Inset right: Alijah Bradley (GoFundMe). Background: A desert area east of Gila Bend near where Bradley's remains were discovered (Google Maps).
An Arizona man will be spending several decades behind bars for killing his best friend and then dismembering the victim before dumping his remains outside a desert town.
Late last month, Samuel Bush, 24, pleaded guilty to one count each of murder in the second degree and aggravated assault over the death of 24-year-old Alijah Bradley. Earlier this week, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison on the murder conviction and 15 years in prison on the assault conviction by Maricopa County Judge Barbara Spencer.
The underlying incident occurred in Gilbert, a large suburb located roughly 22 miles southeast of Phoenix in Maricopa County.
On Aug. 12, 2024, Bradley went missing. The victim had just celebrated his birthday the day before and recently graduated from Northern Arizona University. He 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 the very first day he missed that habitual phone call.
Bush shot Bradley in the back on the day in question, according to grand jury documents obtained by independent Phoenix-based TV station KTVK and local CBS affiliate KPHO, which collectively broadcast as "Arizona's Family."
After the shooting, Bush purchased a reciprocating saw at a home improvement store, according to the charging documents. With that saw, the killer then removed his friend's limbs and head.
Then, the slain man's body was dumped just east of Gila Bend, a sparsely populated town located some 90 miles southwest of Gilbert.
The victim's family was quick to suspect Bush. One 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 provided its last known location as Bush's apartment.
Bradley's family first contacted Bush, who disclaimed any knowledge about the disappearance. 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 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.
Days later, the since-convicted man was charged by police in connection with Bradley's murder. The defendant was formally indicted in September 2024. Charges were dismissed on a motion by the state in April 2025. Additional details came to light in the fall last year, Law&Crime previously reported.
Bush was re-indicted on a slightly different — and smaller — slate of charges in January of this year, Maricopa County court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
On Monday, Bush was also sentenced to five years in prison for two unrelated drug convictions including manufacturing and use of a weapon in a drug-related crime, according to court records.
The defendant received 542 days of credit for time spent in pretrial detention, according to a courtroom report by Phoenix-based NBC affiliate KPNX.
"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."
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