Judge accepts IA man’s murder plea

By KAALTV

Nathan Gilmore / Courtesy: Mitchell County Jail

(ABC 6 News) – Nathan Gilmore pleaded guilty to the murder of 28-year-old Angela Bradbury in Mitchell County Court Thursday, Aug. 17.

Gilmore, 24, was originally charged with premeditated 1st-degree murder after Bradbury’s decapitated head was found on a stick in a Mitchell County state park in July of 2021.

Gilmore, who has been held at the Mitchell County jail since his arrest in August of 2022, entered a guilty plea to 2nd-degree murder Aug. 17, which county judge Rustin Davenport accepted.

Gilmore’s sentencing has not been scheduled.

Mitchell County sheriff Greg Beaver said the plea comes after more than two years, and hours upon hours of work by local law enforcement, who first identified the human remains as belonging to Angela Bradbury, then spoke to witnesses to determine her whereabouts before her death.

Beaver said witness interviews helped narrow her location down — but “in today’s world, a lot of investigation is down through IT.”

Investigators determined when Bradbury died partially from the lack of activity on her phone and social media, he said.

Investigators released some details related to the case in August, following Gilmore’s arrest — including allegations that Gilmore’s GPS placed him at the Mitchell County park on the day Bradbury vanished, and at other times he said he was at work.

Court documents also detailed a Snapchat message in which Gilmore talked about “getting off” by stabbing someone in the throat.

After today’s plea, Beaver said deputies can finally stop collecting evidence related to Bradbury’s death — unless, of course, Gilmore’s defense filed an appeal down the line.

“You don’t always know that you’ve covered all your bases or talked to every person who might know something,” Beaver said. “So we keep the cases open until a jury delivers a guilty verdict, or someone pleads guilty.”