Kirby Bradford faces murder charges in the death of his friend Robert Bruso in Palermo, Maine. Authorities uncovered a detailed planning list and evidence of a cover-up after Bruso's body was found in April 2025. The killing is believed to have occurred around February 8, 2025.
A 58-year-old Maine man, Kirby Bradford, stands accused of murdering his longtime friend Robert Bruso, 56, in a meticulously planned attack. Maine State Police responded to Bruso's property on Boots and Saddle Road in Palermo on April 19, 2025, for a welfare check. They discovered Bruso's body outside his home on a snowbank near the tree line, with clothing showing small holes consistent with bullet damage. An autopsy confirmed homicide as the manner of death. Investigators believe the slaying took place on or around February 8, 2025, the same day a deputy found Bruso's cellphone on the roadside following a crash notification, with no crash evidence present. The deputy returned the phone to Bruso's home and met a man described as a 'scraggly guy,' later linked to Bradford, who took the device. The next day, a voicemail purportedly from Bruso claimed he was ice fishing in Greenville, an activity friends said was out of character. Co-workers identified Bradford's voice on the recording. During searches, detectives found a diagram of Bruso's property and a list in a garage where Bradford worked. The list included items like 'stun gun, zip ties, covid masks, take phone, bring him somewhere out of sight, duct tape over mouth, bag over his head,' according to court filings. In Bradford's vehicle, police recovered a sawed-off shotgun with the serial number ground off, loaded rounds, clothing wrapping, and gloves with light-colored hair. Bruso's golden retriever also went missing around that time. Bradford allegedly continued misleading others, telling a friend about a month later that Bruso had a girlfriend: 'I don't think I've ever seen him actually into a chick like this. I know right he deserves a good one lol.' Investigators point to a possible motive tied to Bradford's crack cocaine addiction and Bruso's habit of keeping up to $50,000 in cash at home for winter expenses. Bradford was arrested in September 2025, indicted on murder in November 2025, and additionally for possessing a firearm as a prohibited person. He has pleaded not guilty and remains held without bail. A probable cause affidavit unsealed last week provided these details, as first reported by the Bangor Daily News.
