TECUMSEH, OK – Authorities have detained a local man on murder charges after he allegedly shot his wife in the face with a shotgun and later asserted that she had committed suicide.
Bradley Frye, 31, faces charges of first-degree murder in connection with the death of his wife, Sara Frye. According to a probable cause affidavit, Bradley hurried to his neighbor’s house around 9:30 p.m. Friday, claiming that his wife had shot herself at their home in the 400 block of East Beech Street in Tecumseh, an Oklahoma City suburb.
Upon arrival, police quickly noted that the scene did not resemble a suicide. “When the officers arrived, the scene looked like everything other than a suicide,” said Tecumseh Police Chief JR Kidney.
Evidence suggested a struggle had occurred within the home. A kitchen table was broken in half, several items were scattered and damaged, and inconsistencies were evident in Bradley Frye’s stories. Initially, he told officers that he walked into a room just as his wife pulled the trigger. As police prepared to test him for gunshot residue, Frye altered his account, claiming they had been fighting over the gun when it accidentally discharged.
“Our investigator arrived and concurred with the initial officers that this did not appear to be a suicide,” Kidney stated.
Further investigation unveiled Sara Frye’s journal entries indicating her intention to leave Bradley due to his mistreatment. Sara’s father also elaborated on the couple’s marital issues, revealing that the tension had led to their children being temporarily removed from the home. On the day of the incident, he thought Bradley had calmed enough for him to briefly leave to run errands but returned to find police at the residence.
Disturbingly, Bradley Frye had allegedly filled the gunshot wound on his wife’s face with petroleum jelly. He declined to make a statement to police and requested a lawyer instead.
Bradley Frye, who reportedly suffers from schizophrenia and was allegedly drinking that night, remains in the Pottawatomie County Jail without bond. His next court date is set for Sept. 30.
