Ohio Supreme Court rejects convicted killer's claim that he is 8 years younger
Pele Bradford was 25, according to court records, when he chased down and fatally shot a man on West Liberty Street in 2004.
Bradford was convicted in Hamilton County of crimes including aggravated murder and sentenced to 23 years to life in prison.
But three years ago, Bradford challenged that conviction using an extremely unusual argument: He claimed he was actually 17 at the time of the shooting and that a juvenile court should have handled the case.
In an opinion released Wednesday, the Ohio Supreme Court rejected Bradford’s argument, finding that Bradford was, in fact, 25 at the time of the killing.
The court said prison Warden Robert Bowen provided a certified copy of Bradford’s birth certificate, showing that he was born in November 1978. Bradford would have been 25 in January 2004.
Bradford’s age became an issue in 2020 after he filed an appeal seeking his immediate release from prison, saying the case should have been handled in juvenile court.
He based his age claim on three things:
A form he received in 2011 from the U.S. Department of Education canceling his student loan debt, which listed his birthdate as Nov. 25, 1986.
An IRS notice he received in 2017 that also listed his birthdate as Nov. 25, 1986.
A sworn statement he submitted saying a "Christian Baptismal Certificate" existed with that birthdate.
Last year, the Ohio Supreme Court found that the prison warden had not produced a proper birth certificate with a seal and original signature of the local official who certified the document. But the warden ultimately did provide that. Bradford never filed a copy of the alleged baptismal certificate with the court.
Bradford, now 44, is scheduled to have his first parole hearing in 2029, records say. In 2007, he was convicted of escape and sentenced to two additional years in prison.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Court rejects convicted killer's claim that he is 8 years younger
