| Date of birth: | Jul 25, 1970 |
| Ethnicity: | CAUCASIAN |
| Hair: | Brown |
| Eyes: | Hazel |
| Unit: | ASPC Eyman SMU II |
| Status: | ACTIVE |
| Release type: | NEW COMMITMENT |
| Most recent loc: | ASPC Eyman |
| Last movement: | Dec 30, 2009 |
| Inmate number: | 249535 |
| Inmate detainee: | INMATE |
| Custody class: | 5/2 |
| Crime description: | INMATE 249535 - NELSON, BRAD L. In June 2006, Nelson agreed to stay with his sister's teenage kids, 14-year-old Amber Graff and 13-year-old Wade Graff while their mother was in the hospital being treated for Crohn's disease. Nelson checked into the Silver Queen Motel in Mohave County on June 6, 2006. In the early morning hours of June 9th, Nelson got up and walked to a nearby McDonalds to get breakfast sandwiches and coffee. Wade woke up when Nelson knocked on the door after coming back from McDonalds. Wade opened the door for Nelson and went back to sleep. When Wade woke up at abut 8:40, he noticed Amber was still asleep on the other bed with the covers over her. Wade and Nelson spent the morning going to a few places. They first went to K-Mart, where Nelson purchased a shirt. They then went to a nearby store called Flying J and then returned back to the motel. Wade did some laundry and then he and Nelson went to hang out at the pool. Afterwards, when they were near the room, Nelson asked one of the maids if she wanted a bottle of rum that was left over and she agreed to have it. When they walked into the room, Nelson grabbed the bottle and told Amber to wake up. When she didn't move, he took the covers off her. She was naked from the waist down and her body was blue; she was bleeding from her forehead and had blood and foam coming out of her mouth. Nelson screamed and the maid called 911. Paramedics arrived shortly after and pronounced Amber dead at the scene. The investigation revealed Amber died from blunt force trauma. Police found a rubber mallet under the bed which had her blood on it. The investigation further revealed that Nelson had purchased a rubber mallet at K-Mart in the early morning of June 6. Nelson's semen was found on Amber's groin area, and his DNA was also on her clothing. Amber's stepfather gave a letter written by Nelson to Amber proclaiming his love for her to the police. Nelson was charged with first degree murder and child molestation. At trial, the court granted the defense's motion for acquittal on the child molestation charge based on lack of evidence of sexual assault. The jury convicted Nelson of first degree murder and sentenced him to death. PROCEEDINGS Presiding Judge: Hon. Richard Weiss Prosecutors: Matthew Smith & Victoria Stazio Defense Counsel: Lee Novak & James Belanger Start of Trial: November 4, 2009 Verdict: November 19, 2009 Sentencing: December 7, 2009 Aggravating Circumstances Age of the victim PUBLISHED OPINIONS [Direct Appeal pending before the Arizona Supreme Court] |
| Community supervision parole: | N |
| Commitment status: | COMPLETE AND VERIFIED |
| Admission date: | Dec 30, 2009 |
| Booking location: | Maricopa County, AZ |
| Commit number: | A01 |
| Admit date: | Dec 7, 2009 |
