Man accused of killing Brevard Co. deputy on trial

Jury selection set to begin in Brandon Bradley murder trial

VIERA, Fla. – Though he knows it will be difficult, Steve Pill plans to attend every day of the trial of the man accused of killing his wife, Brevard County sheriff's Deputy Barbara Pill.

"All I can say is I'm looking forward to the beginning of the trial," he told Florida Today.  "I think the whole family is. So some kind of justice can be done."

Brandon Bradley's first-degree murder trial, which starts Monday with jury selection is likely to bring some closure to a case that shocked the county.

Jack Parker, who was sheriff at the time, declared: "Our worst nightmare has come true." Brevard hadn't lost a deputy in the line of duty in about 15 years.

Barbara Pill

Thousands attended Pill's funeral, multiple memorials honored her memory, and President Barack Obama mentioned her name at a national service for fallen law enforcement officers.

Police and prosecutors say Bradley shot Pill multiple times on March 6, 2012, after she pulled over his car in response to a tip that Bradley and Andria Kerchner had stolen some items from a Melbourne Econo Lodge.

Kerchner took a plea deal and avoided prosecution as a principal to the murder charge. She is expected to testify against Bradley.

The trial could last five weeks due to its complexity: the prosecution is seeking death, intense media attention means lawyers will spend a long time choosing jurors who can be unbiased, and the case involves multiple crime scenes and dozens of witnesses.

Bradley faces four felonies: first-degree premeditated murder of a law enforcement officer with a firearm, robbery without a firearm, fleeing and eluding, resisting an officer with violence.

The court will assemble a jury of 15 people, including three alternates.  Twelve of them will ultimately determine whether Bradley is guilty of the four charges, and they must be unanimous in those decisions.