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WARRANT REQUEST
ATTEMPTED CAPITAL MURDER

IN THE NAME AND BY AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

BEFORE ME, the undersigned authority, on this day personally appeared Detective Tim Cromie, who, after being by me duly sworn, on oath, deposes and says:  That he has good reason to believe and does believe that heretofore, to wit, on or about the 10th day of August, A.D., 1990, and before the making and filing of this Complaint, in Precinct 8-1, County of Galveston, State of Texas,

Dennis Earl Bradford, White/Male, DOB 09-28-1969

did then and there attempt to intentionally cause the death of Jennifer Dian Schuett by cutting her throat with a deadly weapon, to wit; a knife, while in the course of committing or attempting to commit kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault of Jennifer Dian Schuett.

Your Affiant is a Dickinson Police Officer currently assigned as a Detective in the Criminal Investigation Division. Your Affiant has twenty four years experience as a Police Officer with more than seven years experience in Criminal Investigation. Your Affiant’s duties include investigation of criminal offenses that occur in the City of Dickinson, Galveston County, Texas. Your Affiant has personally investigated Dickinson Police case #0890-01226 (#90001226).

Your Affiant’s beliefs are based on the following;

Your Affiant has personally read Dickinson Police Report #0890-01226.

On August 10, 1990, Eliane Schuett, reported to Officer Jason Grieger, that her eight year old daughter, Jennifer Dian Schuett, was missing from her bedroom, located at 3206 Lobit Drive #49, Dickinson, County of Galveston, Texas.

Jennifer was last seen inside her apartment at approximately 2:30 AM on August 10, 1990, leaving her mother’s bedroom and going to her bedroom. At approximately 7:00 AM, on August 10, 1990, Eliane discovered Jennifer was missing from her bedroom. At about 7:40 AM, an investigation was opened into the disappearance of Jennifer Schuett. Eliane reported that Jennifer was last seen wearing a pink shirt, pink shorts and white underwear with blue roses.

At about 6:30 PM on August 10, 1990, Jennifer was found in an empty field located behind 2112 California, Dickinson, County of Galveston, Texas. Jennifer was nude and her throat had been cut. Jennifer was unable to talk when located.

Jennifer was treated by EMS at the scene and then transported to University of Texas Medical Branch Hospital in Galveston, Texas, by Life Flight helicopter. Once at the hospital a medical examination was completed and numerous items of possible evidence were collected from Jennifer’s body including, but not limited to; anal swabs and smears, vaginal swabs and smears, oral swabs and smears, fingernail scrapings and clippings.

Your Affiant reviewed the medical records obtained from University of Texas Medical Branch located in Galveston, Texas, reference to Jennifer Schuett, Unit History Number 833973p. Page 016 to page 019 of the medical records is titled, Medical Report of Suspected Rape and is signed by Dr. Dara Varga Heath, Dr. Peter Wong and Dr. Perry Fulther. Page 018 of this report, dated August 10, 1990, has a sketch of perineal findings and a notation next to the sketch, “Anal lacerations-6 superficial lacerations identified. Enythena-perenial secretions drained from anus when exam was performed.” Page 019 of the records, dated August 10, 1990, has a hand written note under the section titled “Impressions:” Sexual Assault – blunt anal trauma via unknown object. Page 035 of the medical records, titled “Model Letter for Reporting to CPS” reads in part; “In my professional opinion, this child is a victim of physical abuse and sexual abuse” and is signed by Dr. Heath.

Page 021 of the medical records lists the “General appearance and impression of the child” with the following hand written comments; dirty, naked, covered with multiple insect bites, scratches and superficial lacerations, also various areas with leaves, grass; subconjunctural hemorrhages both eyes; neck with large 10cm vertical anterior laceration with exposed trachea. Jennifer was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at UTMB and remained in the care of the hospital until being released on August 24, 1990.

On August 11, 1990, Officer D.V. Sauceda located clothing in the ditch on the east side of California. Officer Sauceda located this clothing 0.2 miles southeast from the location where Jennifer was located on the previous date. Sauceda’s report indicated the clothing located included Jennifer’s clothing; the pink shirt and white underwear with blue roses, along with a male’s blue t-shirt and male’s underwear. Officer Sauceda reported the officer’s visual observation of the clothes found indicated that the male’s underwear had been torn off or cut off and they were wrapped with the child’s pink shirt. The scene was both photographed and video taped, depicting the clothing as it was found. Det. Garcia recovered the clothing as evidence. These items were eventually turned over to the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office for storage and future processing.

On August 12, 1990, Officer G. Hernandez was working security for Jennifer’s room at John Sealy Hospital. Hernandez received notes from Eliane Schuett. The notes were written by Jennifer to Eliane. Hernandez later gave the notes to Garcia. Garcia reported the notes indicate that the attacker identified himself as Dennis.

On August 14, 1990, FBI SA Flo Logan and Officer R. Tijerina (Galveston PD) interviewed Jennifer Schuett while she was in PICU at UTMB Galveston. Jennifer indicated she was asleep in her bedroom; a man opened the window and grabbed her. The man told her to shut up and put his hand over her face. The man then took her to his car and put her on his lap while he drove. While they were driving, the man choked her four times as hard as he could. The man then drove to woods, got out of the car and got Jennifer out of the car, undressed her and licked her all over. The man dragged Jennifer to a field and used a pocket knife to hurt her. The man said his name was Dennis.

On August 14, 1990, Lois Gibson, forensic sketch artist with Houston Police Department, met with Jennifer and drew a sketch of Jennifer’s attacker from a description given to her by Jennifer. The sketch is attached to this affidavit.

In January 2008, Your Affiant was assigned this case for continued investigation and at this time Your Affiant personally spoke with Jennifer Dian Schuett. Jennifer told Your Affiant she remembers being taken from her bedroom through her window during the early morning of August 10, 1990. Jennifer’s attacker carried her to his car, placed her in the car with him and drove away. While driving, the attacker had Jennifer sitting on his lap and made her get down when another vehicle would drive past. Jennifer told Your Affiant the attacker told her he was an undercover police officer. The attacker also choked Jennifer four times while in the car. When Jennifer asked the attacker where his gun was, he told her it was in the back seat. Jennifer leaned over the front seat to look in the back seat for the gun and the attacker pulled her panties off her. Jennifer’s remembrance of events after this time is sporadic, however, she remembers the attacker dragging her into the field where she was later found. After the attack, Jennifer remembers laying naked in the field and being unable to yell for help and unable to get up or move. Jennifer could hear and see what was happening near her, but was unable to get any help. Jennifer told Your Affiant that as she was lying in the field she knew she was going to die.

On March 17, 2008, Your Affiant and FBI SA Richard Rennison met with Deputy John Pruitt at the Galveston County Sheriff Office. Pruitt reviewed the evidence collected in this case. The evidence had been packaged and stored in the custody of Galveston County Sheriff Office. Your Affiant asked Rennison to research the previous testing conducted at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, to determine if new advanced testing would be useful to develop additional results from the evidence.

Agent Rennison advised Your Affiant that he had learned from research with the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, that current available methods and technology of DNA testing and comparison were not used to analyze the evidence in this case when original testing was completed. Your Affiant spoke with Rennison and asked him to take custody of the articles of clothing that were evidence in this case and submit these pieces of evidence to the FBI Lab for possible additional analysis.

Agent Rennison took custody of Schuett’s pajama top and panties, along with the men’s blue t-shirt and underwear and mailed them to the FBI Laboratory along with a control sample of Jennifer’s DNA. The FBI Laboratory received the items on July 1, 2008.

On September 22, 2009, Your Affiant received a phone call from Rennison at about 2:00 AM with results from the testing of evidence at the FBI Laboratory. Rennison told Your Affiant a Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) match of a DNA profile belonging to Dennis Earl Bradford, DOB 09-28-1969, was found on the male’s underwear. Per DNA.gov website, CODIS is a computer software program that operates local, State, and national databases of DNA profiles from convicted offenders, unsolved crime scene evidence, and missing persons. Every State in the Nation has a statutory provision for the establishment of a DNA database that allows for the collection of DNA profiles from offenders convicted of particular crimes. CODIS software enables State, local, and national law enforcement crime laboratories to compare DNA profiles electronically, thereby linking serial crimes to each other and identifying suspects by matching DNA profiles from crime scenes with profiles from convicted offenders. Dennis Earl Bradford’s DNA profile had been entered into CODIS for the qualifying offense of a 1997 kidnapping conviction from the State of Arkansas. Subsequently, Your Affiant reviewed the Hot Springs Arkansas Police Department offense report and learned that on April 16, 1996, Dennis Earl Bradford kidnapped, sexually assaulted and cut the throat of the female victim.

Your Affiant researched Dickinson Police Department records and learned Dennis Earl Bradford was arrested for traffic offenses on September 23, 1987, by Officer J. Gist. At the time of the arrest, Dennis Earl Bradford listed his residential address as 500 Tanglewood #5B, Dickinson, Texas, which is located less than one quarter of a mile from Jennifer’s residential address of 3206 Lobit Drive. Dennis Earl Bradford also listed his father, Felix Bradford, as his next of kin and gave Felix Bradford’s address as 3520 Ohio Street #6, Dickinson, Texas.

Your Affiant researched Dickinson High School records and located Dennis Earl Bradford’s transcript which listed an address of 3520 Ohio Street #6, Dickinson, Texas. Bradford’s Texas Driver License #15078893, issued March 1990, listed his address as 3520 Ohio Street #6, Dickinson, Texas. 3520 Ohio Street #6 is approximately 2.2 miles from Jennifer’s residence located at 3206 Lobit Drive, Dickinson, Texas. 3520 Ohio Street #6, Dickinson, Texas is also located approximately 1.7 miles from the 2100-2200 block of California, where Jennifer and her clothing were eventually discovered. 3520 Ohio Street #6, Dickinson, Texas, is located approximately 0.3 miles to the south of Deats Road, which according to Jennifer is the route driven by her abductor when she was kidnapped.

On September 29, 2009, Your Affiant received an e-mail from Rennison that included an attachment. The attachment was a copied image of Texas Driver License #15078893 to Dennis Earl Bradford, DOB 09-28-1969, expiring in 1994. Rennison had received the image from Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Eddie Hutchison, who had retrieved the image from Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Records Services Division. The photo image contained on this DL depicted Dennis Earl Bradford’s likeness on or about August 10, 1990. Your Affiant observed the image on the described DL to be extremely similar to the image of the sketch made by Lois Gibson on August 14, 1990, from Jennifer’s description of her abductor. The DL image and the sketch are attached to this affidavit.

Your Affiant reviewed this case with DA Kurt Sistrunk and First Asst. DA Donna Goode and was advised to file a charge of Attempted Capital Murder against DENNIS EARL BRADFORD.

IT IS THEREFORE the desire of Your Affiant to file on DENNIS EARL BRADFORD for the offense of attempted capital murder, against the peace and dignity of the State.

SWORN TO AND SUBSCRIBED BEFORE ME, the undersigned authority, on this _____ day of ___________, A.D., 2009.

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