Baldwin County District Attorney Robert Wilters announced that 36-year-old Brandon Bledsoe pled guilty today to a charge of Capital Murder.
The State of Alabama had previously agreed that prosecutors would not seek a death sentence in return for Bledsoe’s plea of guilt and cooperation in the prosecution of his co-defendant Heather Raftery.
Upon Bledsoe’s plea this morning, Circuit Judge Scott Taylor imposed a mandatory sentence of Life In Prison Without the Possibility of Parole.
Bledsoe entered the guilty plea to a count of Intentional Murder during the course of a Burglary. According to District Attorney Wilters, Beldsoe broke into the home of 70-year-old Tommy Burdette in Foley, Alabama the night of December 14, 2014.
During the burglary, Bledsoe shot Burdette 5 times with a rifle before setting the victim’s house on fire. Burdette died from the bullet wounds.
During the investigation which followed, investigators developed leads into Bledsoe’s involvement, and searched his and Raftery’s residence. There they found numerous items taken in the burglary of the victim’s home. Bledsoe confessed to the crime, and cooperated in re-enacting the crime for investigators
Wilters and the victim’s family praised the Foley Police Department investigators for their hard work and tenacity in bringing about the successful prosecution.
