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Man convicted of killing Brevard deputy fights to stay off death row

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A man convicted of killing a Brevard County deputy was in a courtroom Thursday in a last ditch effort to convince a judge to keep him off death row.

Brandon Bradley’s defense team, however, offered the judge no additional testimony in the murder of Deputy Barbara Pill.

Defense attorney Mark Lanning said the hearing was a time to offer evidence of mitigations, and all that evidence was already presented at trial.

Bradley did not speak at the hearing, but Pill’s family did for the first time since Bradley’s February trial.

“On March 6, 2012, half my life, my heart, and soul were taken from me and my family, because of Brandon Bradley’s choosing this path and actions,” said Barbara Pill’s husband, Steven Pill.

The only other witnesses for the state were Barbara Pill’s father and brother.

“We gave this man over here a trial. He didn’t give my sister a trial. He decided that day to kill my sister. At least we gave him the benefit of the doubt, giving him a proper trial,” said Barbara Pill’s brother, Barry Bolte.

At trial, Bradley’s defense team argued drug use, childhood abuse, and evidence of cognitive and psychological impairment should all be mitigating factors in the case, but prosecutors maintained that Barbara Pill’s murder was a cold, premeditated act.

Prosecutors said it’s not unusual the defense would offer little to no testimony during the hearing, because nothing was held back at trial.

Bradley is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27.