Thread: CA-Suspect, Murdered Theater Director Had "Romantic Rel

Suspect, Murdered Theater Director Had "Romantic Relationship"
KTLA News
7:46 AM PST, January 6, 2010




Bennett Bradley, 59 Photo
Jose Fructoso, 25 Photo
Suspect Arrested in Murder of Theater Director Video

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles police have identified a suspect in the murder of Bennett Bradley, an award winning theater director and producer who was found stabbed in his apartment.

Jose Fructoso, 25, a Mexican national, was arrested at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

The two men had a "romantic relationship," according to police Cmdr. Matt Blake, but he did not provide details on a motive for the killing.

Bradley, 59, was found about 5:50 p.m. Saturday in his Mid-Wilshire-area apartment, according to Officer April Harding of the Los Angeles Police Department. Details of the arrest were expected to be announced at a late-afternoon news conference.

Bradley suffered multiple stab wounds to his body, and was pronounced dead at the scene, Harding said.

Detectives found evidence, which they did not discuss, that led them to Fructoso's residence about a block away from Bradley's apartment around 10 p.m. Monday.

"We did a surveillance of the residence and we found him walking around near his residence," Blake said. "He was taken into custody and has been booked here. Since then a search warrant has been conducted at the residence of the suspect. Evidence has been found that has linked him to the murder, and later on as he was interviewed, (he) confessed to the crime."

A bloody knife was found in Bradley's apartment, and the weapon was being analyzed.

Bradley had worked at the Fountain Theatre in East Hollywood for 16 years. He was largely responsible for managing box office operations but was also a talented director and producer.

The theater is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and Bradley was directing "The Ballad of Emmett Till," scheduled to open in February.

The show is based on the real-life story of a black teenager whose murder helped spark the civil rights movement. It was an important production for the theater and for Bradley.

The theater staff met for four hours Sunday and decided to go forward with the show -- "to honor him," Levy said.

Bradley won the 2006 OVATION Award for Best Production and Best Director for "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," according to the LA Weekly. His production of "Direct from Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys" earned him L.A. Weekly and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle awards, both for Best Ensemble. He also produced Voices, the theatre's "groundbreaking free theatre program for persons with HIV/AIDS.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call (213) 382-9470 or (877) LAPD-24-7.


http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-b ... 5768.story

Fructoso = Fruity no further comment

Jose Fructoso, 25, a Mexican national, was arrested at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

This monster should be held without bail!