Oklahoma Man Gets Life for Wife’s Murder Staged as Suicide
An Oklahoma man will spend the rest of his life in prison for murdering his wife and trying to pass it off as a suicide.
On Wednesday, Pottawatomie County District Judge John G. Canavan sentenced 32-year-old Bradley Frye to life in a state correctional facility for the September 2024 killing of his wife, Sara Frye. Frye had pleaded guilty in May to second-degree murder.
The deadly incident unfolded on September 13, 2024, when Frye shot Sara in the face with a 12-gauge shotgun during a heated argument at their home in Tecumseh, a suburb of Oklahoma City. He then attempted to stage the scene as a suicide before rushing to a neighbor’s house around 9:30 p.m., claiming his wife had killed herself.
But police were immediately skeptical. “When the officers arrived, the scene looked like everything other than suicide,” Tecumseh Police Chief JR Kidney told local media. Investigators noted that the gun had been placed behind Sara’s body and her wound had been packed with petroleum jelly in an apparent effort to mislead authorities.
Neighbors reported hearing a loud fight just before the fatal shot, and the couple’s home showed clear signs of struggle. A kitchen table had been split in half, and broken household items were scattered throughout.
A critical piece of evidence came from Sara Frye’s journal, where she wrote that she was planning to leave her husband due to his mistreatment. Detectives also spoke with her father, who confirmed the couple’s marital problems and said the children had already been removed from the home for their safety.
Initially, Frye told police he had witnessed Sara pull the trigger on herself. When officers prepared to test his hands for gunshot residue, he changed his story, claiming the two were wrestling over the shotgun when it went off.
Sara’s father recalled that he had left the home briefly that night to buy flea medicine and food, only to return to find law enforcement swarming the property.
Frye, who was reportedly drinking that night, declined to make a formal statement to investigators and requested a lawyer.
Adding to the grim atmosphere, video from the scene showed a sign outside the home reading: “WARNING: Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.”
With his guilty plea and sentencing now finalized, Frye will serve life behind bars, closing a tragic case of domestic violence and a failed attempt at deception.
