Suvechha Sarkar
Diamond Marja Bradley was a 16-year-old high school student who aspired to become a nurse. However, fate sadly put her plans to a sudden halt when she went missing in January 2018. As her family waited for answers, the discovery of her remains in Putnam County, Illinois, left them completely devastated. Investigation Discovery’s ‘ See No Evil: In My Heart, I Knew’ explores the details of the homicide and the evidence, like cell phone records and CCTV footage, that led authorities to the killer. The episode also features interviews with her mother, brother, and the detectives who worked on the case.
Diamond Bradley’s Remains Were Found Three Days After Her Disappearance
Diamond Marja Bradley arrived as a blessing in the lives of Doris Marie Bradley and Phillip Williams on March 21, 2001. She was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, and her family moved to Spring Valley, Illinois, in 2002. Growing up, Diamond loved playing with her sisters, Aaliyah Bradley, Briana Green, and Jasmine Bradley. She had also shared a strong bond with her brothers, Quintin Bradley, Larry Mitchell, DeAndre Bradley, and DiQuan Bradley. She was often described by her loved ones as an outgoing individual and the life of the party.
Diamond had been a dedicated student, which helped her focus on her studies as a junior at Hall High School. According to DiQuan, her desire to help people led her to dream of becoming a nurse. In her free time, she loved dancing and singing with her friends. On January 24, 2018, Doris went up to the 16-year-old’s room to wake her up for school around 6:30 am, but found it empty. Diamond’s mother and siblings grew concerned when they were unable to contact the teenager through texts and calls, prompting them to report her missing.
When officials searched Diamond’s home, they recovered one of her two phones. Doris informed them that her daughter had another mobile with her, but had no access to a vehicle or any money. On January 27, a passerby discovered the remains of a young girl in a ditch along County Road 850 North in Putnam County, Illinois, and quickly called 911. When authorities arrived, they identified the remains as Diamond’s. Experts noted that she had sustained multiple stab wounds. The autopsy report determined her cause of death as multiple stab wounds, and her manner of death was ruled a homicide.
CCTV Footage, Location Data, and Confession Led to the Killer’s Arrest
During the initial phase of the missing persons investigation, Doris informed the detectives that Diamond often purchased coffee from the nearest gas station in the morning. When officials reviewed the CCTV footage from the gas station on January 24, 2018, they noted that a black jeep had pulled into the parking lot around 6:30 am. Within a few minutes, the footage captured a man entering the gas station, purchasing an item, and leaving. According to one of the detectives on the show, on January 25, Diamond’s sister, Jasmine, informed the authorities that the 16-year-old was using an advertising website and had agreed to meet men by posting ads.
Digital forensic experts then tracked the location data from Diamond’s second phone, which she had with her that morning. Reports state that the data showed Diamond passing through an intersection near her home before entering Putnam County, where the phone went inactive. As investigators checked the surveillance footage along the routes Diamond’s phone had passed through, they noticed the same black Jeep was spotted at those locations. It reportedly helped them deduce that Diamond was present in that car. After her remains were discovered on January 27, experts identified the car as a Jeep Wrangler. On February 5, they tracked down an owner of the particular model, leading them to a man named Richard Henderson.
Investigative reports suggest that when Richard was questioned, he admitted to going to the gas station near Diamond’s home and picking her up between 6:30 am and 7 am. In his statements, he claimed that he and the 16-year-old were trying to buy MDMA/Molly, and after passing the intersection, he had dropped her off near a trailer park. However, that claim was refuted because the trailer park was in the opposite direction from the location where Diamond’s phone last pinged. As per one of the detectives, Richard eventually drove with an official to show the route he took that fateful morning, and upon reaching the scene where Diamond’s remains were found, he confessed to stabbing her. Ultimately, he was arrested and charged with concealment of a homicidal death.
Richard Henderson is Likely Incarcerated at an Illinois Prison Facility Today
After Richard was taken into custody, he was held on a $1 million bond at the La Salle County Jail in Ottawa, Illinois. During another interrogation, he alleged that after reaching the location where Diamond’s remains were found, she had attacked him with a knife after he told her to step out of his vehicle. In his statements, he admitted that during the physical altercation, he stabbed her multiple times, leading to her death. Richard went on to claim that he committed the murder in self-defense, as per one of the officials.
Moreover, Richard confessed to disposing of the knife at his workplace. In April 2018, officials finally found the knife at the said location, and it was confirmed to be the murder weapon. In August 2018, the prosecution added three counts of murder against Richard. The defendant initially pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. By the following month, the charge of concealment of a homicidal death against him was dropped during a hearing. Richard had originally opted for a bench trial.
That changed when Richard pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder in November 2018. As part of the agreement, the remaining charges against him were dismissed. He was ultimately sentenced to 53 years in state prison. The court ruled that he must serve his entire sentence and will then be subject to a 3-year mandatory supervised release. Currently, Richard appears to be serving his sentence at a correctional facility in Illinois. However, we were unable to confirm the precise location from publicly available records.
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