Oxygen is re-airing the Buried in the Backyard investigation into the murder of Bryan Ruff, who was kidnapped and gunned down by Dale Bradley in Salt Lake County, Utah.
On December 10, 1991, 22-year-old Bryan left his job as a security guard but never made it home. His remains were found 19 months later by a group of campers at the remote Five Mile Pass in Utah County.
Ruff had been shot five times in the back and buried in a shallow grave.
The cops learned that Bryan had been having an affair with Dale Bradley’s then-wife. Bradley was a person of interest, but there wasn’t enough evidence for a conviction.
At the time of the murder, Bryan was married to Jennifer Ruff. They had a two-year-old daughter, Brittany, and Jennifer was five months pregnant with their second daughter.
Jennifer had known about her husband’s extramarital activities, but he had agreed to end the affair, and the couple had reconciled and were moving forward. Following the recovery of Bryan’s remains, Jennifer told the press, “Until we find out who did it and find out why, it will be in the back of my mind forever.”
Dale Bradley involvement in Bryan Ruff murder re-investigated after second killing
The case lay dormant for another 12 years until the murder of Bradley’s second wife, Crystal Bradley. In April 2005, Crystal was found stabbed to death outside the couple’s trailer home in Wellington, UT, and her husband was named a person of interest.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelSalt Lake County sheriff’s detective Todd Park took another close look at Bryan’s case. He noticed that the paint found on Bryan’s boot matched the distinctive paintwork found on Bradley’s car. The detective explained, “It’s a pretty obvious color, bright orange red. Not a real common color.”
A forensic laboratory confirmed that the paint came from Bradley’s car, leading to an arrest and a murder charge.
Dale Bradley took a plea deal in Bryan Ruff killing
Eventually, Bradley took an Alford plea, meaning he could continue to maintain his innocence, but admitted the prosecution would likely get a conviction. He pleaded guilty to second-degree felony counts of manslaughter and kidnapping.
He was sentenced to two terms of 2-to-20 years behind bars and was ordered to serve them consecutively, meaning he could spend up to 40 years in prison.
Bradley’s defense team had argued he should serve the sentences concurrently because he had no memory of the murder. They claimed the killer had suffered a diabetic coma on that day, which produced amnesia, and that he didn’t remember killing anyone.
The prosecution focused on their belief it was a premeditated murder, pointing out that on the morning of the murder, the killer had emptied the trunk of his car in preparation to put Bryan’s body inside.
At the sentencing, Jennifer Ruff-Campbell, who had since remarried, said, “This was not a crime of passion. This was a revenge killing for being jilted.”
Bryan’s daughter, Brittany, now 16, condemned Bradley for not allowing her to know her father. She told the court, “I spent my whole life not knowing what my father was like. He [Bradley] has taken someone special out of our lives.”
Bradley was not charged in the death of his wife, Crystal Bradley, and that murder remains unsolved. The killer is currently incarcerated at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison, UT.
This episode of Buried in the Backyard re-airs Friday at 9/8c on Oxygen.