Samuel Bush, a 24-year-old from Arizona, has been sentenced to decades in prison for murdering his best friend Alijah Bradley and dismembering his body. The incident took place in Gilbert, a suburb of Phoenix, and Bradley's remains were later found in a remote desert area. Bush pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated assault charges.
Samuel Stephen Bush, 24, pleaded guilty late last month to one count of second-degree murder and one count of aggravated assault in connection with the death of 24-year-old Alijah Bradley. On March 4, 2026, Maricopa County Judge Barbara Spencer sentenced Bush to 25 years in prison for the murder conviction and 15 years for the assault conviction. He also received five years for two unrelated drug convictions, including manufacturing and use of a weapon in a drug-related crime, with 542 days credited for pretrial detention.
The events unfolded on August 12, 2024, in Gilbert, Arizona, about 22 miles southeast of Phoenix. Bradley, who had celebrated his 24th birthday the previous day and recently graduated from Northern Arizona University, went missing that day. Investigators believe Bush shot Bradley in the back. According to grand jury documents, Bush then purchased a reciprocating saw at a home improvement store and used it to remove Bradley's limbs and head before dumping the remains east of Gila Bend, a town roughly 90 miles southwest of Gilbert.
Bradley's family reported him missing on August 15 after he failed to make his daily call to his mother. Using the Life360 app, they traced his phone's last location to Bush's apartment, though it was powered off. The family also obtained GPS data from Toyota for Bradley's car, which they shared with law enforcement. The remains were discovered on August 19, 2024.
An anonymous relative told Arizona's Family that the family had suspected Bush early on. "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." She added, "He was Sam's best friend. He was Sam's only friend."
A GoFundMe page described Bradley, an engineer by training, as "a bright and beloved soul" with "a free spirit and wild soul." His aunt told KNXV, "It's devastating. He was just beginning his adulthood. I don't feel a relief or anything because it doesn't bring him back. It doesn't fix anything."
Bush was arrested on August 20, 2024, on drug charges and later charged with Bradley's murder. He was indicted in September 2024, with charges dismissed in April 2025 and re-indicted in January 2026.
