Later court records have added allegations of planning to a case that began with a relative’s urgent call to police.

ALDIE, Va. — What began as a report of a deadly domestic shooting at a Loudoun County home has developed into a case involving an interstate search, allegations of advance planning and an unusual courtroom decision by the man accused of killing his wife. Roger Paul Bradford, 60, is accused in the Sept. 22 death of Lisa Bradford, a 54-year-old real estate agent and mother, and is being held as the case moves toward a preliminary hearing.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office initially announced that Bradford had been charged with first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Later court proceedings described the murder count as second-degree, while a prosecutor said evidence of premeditation could support a first-degree charge as the case advances. Bradford has not been convicted. His preliminary hearing, originally expected sooner, has been moved to Dec. 7 after he asked for more time to prepare while pursuing his plan to represent himself.

The case began shortly after noon on Sept. 22, when deputies were sent to the 24000 block of Quimby Oaks Place in Aldie. Authorities said a relative had contacted law enforcement after speaking with Bradford. According to court records and local reporting, Bradford told the relative that he had shot his wife, apologized and asked that his juvenile daughter be picked up so she would not return home and encounter the scene. He also allegedly said he intended to kill himself. Deputies arrived at about 12:10 p.m. and found Lisa Bradford dead inside the home. Bradford was gone.

The call gave investigators both a crime scene and an immediate search for a suspect. The sheriff’s office said Bradford had left in a rental car and traveled out of Virginia. Law enforcement agencies coordinated across Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania as authorities worked to locate him. Pennsylvania State Police arrested Bradford at about 3:15 p.m. in Bedford, Pennsylvania, roughly three hours after deputies responded to the Aldie residence. Sheriff Mike Chapman said at the time that investigators believed the killing was domestic in nature and that there was no continuing threat to the public.

Information disclosed after the arrest changed the public understanding of the case. Search warrant material cited by several Washington-area news organizations says investigators found a journal in the rental vehicle Bradford was driving. Police said the journal contained several names of people Bradford allegedly planned to kill. Lisa Bradford’s name was included, according to the records, along with a reference to Sept. 22, the day she died. Authorities have not publicly identified all of the other people listed or established in court what Bradford allegedly intended to do concerning them. Federal authorities were reported to be reviewing whether some entries could be connected to people or matters outside Virginia.

The records also describe actions investigators say Bradford took before returning to the family home. On the morning of Sept. 22, he allegedly went to a storage facility in Ashburn and obtained .45-caliber ammunition from a storage unit. Authorities say he later stopped at a Home Depot in the South Riding area and purchased long nylon zip ties. Investigators allege that he then returned to the Aldie house around 9 a.m. Later court records said Lisa Bradford was found with her hands restrained. Those allegations have become central to the prosecution’s position that the evidence may support a finding of premeditation rather than a spontaneous act.

Investigators were still working after Bradford’s arrest to account for evidence connected to the killing. Early reporting said authorities had not recovered the firearm believed to have been used, and Lisa Bradford’s cellphone also was being sought. Those missing items were among the unresolved questions disclosed during the first phase of the investigation. The alleged journal, travel records, purchases and communications with relatives gave detectives other evidence to examine as they reconstructed Bradford’s movements before and after his wife’s death.

The couple’s history also drew scrutiny because of statements Bradford had made months earlier in an unrelated federal criminal case. Bradford previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in Iowa and was sentenced in 2023 to 20 months in federal prison. The case grew from a kickback scheme connected with construction work. In a January 2026 filing seeking relief from the conviction, Bradford described severe personal consequences from his prosecution and imprisonment. He wrote that his professional relationships had been damaged, said he had struggled with his mental health while incarcerated and stated that his marriage to Lisa Bradford was headed toward divorce.

Bradford’s January filing said the expected end of the marriage was “too much to bear.” That statement received renewed attention after Lisa Bradford’s death, but the filing alone does not establish why she was killed. Investigators and prosecutors have instead pointed to the physical evidence and alleged preparations uncovered in the homicide investigation. The distinction is significant because Bradford’s earlier statements describe his own view of his circumstances, while the murder case must be proved with admissible evidence in court. Authorities have not publicly established a complete motive, and the allegations surrounding the journal and purchases remain subject to judicial review and challenge.

Lisa Bradford was remembered in the weeks after her death as an active real estate professional and a familiar presence in her Loudoun County community. Neighbors described her as kind and involved in the neighborhood, including service connected with the homeowners association. The Dulles Area Association of Realtors called her a valued member of the real estate community. Friends and professional associates gathered with relatives for her funeral in October, the same day Bradford was being transported back to Virginia following his arrest and detention in Pennsylvania.

Bradford’s return to Loudoun County shifted the case from an interstate custody matter to the local courts. At an October appearance by video, he said he did not want a bond hearing and announced that he intended to represent himself. A judge cautioned him about speaking without counsel and about the risks of handling a serious criminal case without a lawyer. At a later hearing, Judge Charles Koehler concluded that Bradford could exercise his right to self-representation after questioning him about the consequences. Bradford indicated that he would accept standby counsel, an attorney who can provide limited assistance without taking over his defense.

The self-representation decision places a second set of legal questions alongside the homicide allegations. Bradford will be expected to comply with the same procedural and evidentiary rules that govern attorneys even though he is acting on his own behalf. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have indicated that they may seek to elevate the murder allegation to first-degree murder and pursue additional charges as the investigation is presented in court. Whether that occurs will depend on the charging process and evidence rather than the sheriff’s initial characterization of the case.

Bradford remains accused, not convicted, in Lisa Bradford’s death. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 7, when a judge is expected to consider whether prosecutors have presented sufficient evidence for the case to move forward. The hearing also may provide the next public test of allegations that investigators say transform the case from an initial domestic shooting report into one involving preparation, interstate flight and a written list of possible targets.

Author note: Last updated Nov. 8, 2026.