On May 5 an Orange County Jury found Derek Lennon Bradley, 47, guilty of murder in connection with the death of Casie Lynn Graves. The jury sentenced him to 30 years in prison.
The investigation began on Sept. 16, 2023 when an employee of International Paper discovered a body off of the road near the railroad tracks while entering the facility. Deputies and investigators from the OC Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and began an investigation. Graves, 38, was the mother of two of Bradley’s children. An autopsy later determined that she died by strangulation.
Investigators obtained video of Bradley’s truck leaving his residence around 12:30am on Sept. 16 and traveling to, and them from the vicinity of where Graves’ body was found.
Bradley would then call a mechanic in an effort to have the GPS removed from his vehicle. The evidence and witness interviews led investigators to request and execute a search warrant on Bradley’s residence and vehicle.
Assistant DA Bard Anderson was the prosecutor in the case.
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