Aiken jeweler found murdered was involved in 1982 cold case involving killing of his wife
A well-known Aiken jewelry store owner who was charged more than 30 years ago in a murder-for-hire case that ran cold, last week was murdered by a 27-year-old Aiken man.
Swint E. "Porky" Bradberry Jr., 78, of Aiken, was found dead at the scene from blunt force injuries to the head, according to Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables.
Aiken Department of Public Safety officers received a call for a possible burglary at a home on the 900 block of Brookhaven Drive in Aiken at 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to previous reporting. When officers arrived, they found Bradberry, former owner of Porky Bradberry Jewelry Store, dead inside a bedroom.
Arrest warrants note that Alexander Gage Boone, 27, of Aiken, broke into the home through a window and hit Bradberry repeatedly in the head with an object, killing him. Warrants state he took a pair of shoes and a jacket before leaving the scene.
The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, SLED, Second Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office, Aiken County Coroner's Office and ATF RAGE Task Force are assisting ADPS with the murder investigation, according to previous reporting.
Cold case investigation: Arrests didn't close case in 1982 Aiken slaying
Bradberry connected to 1982 cold case in Aiken
Bradberry, who had a criminal history of domestic violence and harassment, was initially charged in the unsolved 1982 slaying of his then-wife, Linda Bradberry.
Linda Bradberry, 35, watched the Aiken Christmas parade on Dec. 11, 1982, with her mother and 13-year-old son and then dropped the teen off at a church function at 7 p.m., according to previous reports When she did not return to pick him up, the boy called his father, Porky, who reported her missing.
The next day, a man noticed a car outside of the old J.H. Quattlebaum's Grocery on New Holland Road, according to previous reporting. Linda Bradberry was dead inside the car, on her hands and knees between the seats, facing the back of the car.
She was shot in the head at close range with a shotgun, according to previous reporting. The coroner's office identified her through dental records.
Investigators said her salon, Bradberry's Sudden Beauty Salon on Marlboro Street, was broken into overnight, but ruled out rape and robbery as motives due to evidence found at the scene.
Five years after the murder, the Aiken County Sheriff's Office arrested Porky and four other men: Leroy Craig (now deceased), James Edward Green (now deceased), Joe Floyd and Allen Blanding Hammet. Floyd was given immunity in exchange for his cooperation and testimony, according to previous reporting. He told police that Porky paid him and the others to kidnap Linda, kill her at a remote location and leave her body at the abandoned grocery store.
Police said Hammet was the one who pulled the trigger and that the name "Willie Floyd" was imprinted on the shotgun used to kill Linda. Willie was Floyd's brother, according to previous reporting.
The case was dismissed after witness statements and evidence did not align with Floyd's story. No other charges were ever brought and the case remains cold.
Porky Bradberry was arrested numerous times following the murder, including:
1988: Harassing phone calls to an ex-wife
1989: Criminal domestic violence against his fourth wife
1994: Stalking an ex-wife
Bradberry also shot an armed robber in the face in 2011 at his jewelry store, according to previous reporting. The robber lived and was arrested.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Prominent Aiken jewelry store owner murdered
