Father of suspect in Smyrna dismemberment case releases statement

SMYRNA, Ga. - The father of an 18-year-old man charged with murder in Smyrna has released a statement pointing to his son's history of mental illness while police disclose new timeline details in the case.

Suspect's father releases statement

What we know:

Kenneth Bradley posted a statement online addressing the arrest of his son, 18-year-old Kingston Bradley, who is charged with malice murder and concealing the death of another:

"I logged back in to clear up some rumors about me in regards to my son’s situation. First and foremost, I’m sending my deepest condolences to the family of the young lady and her family. Kingston has been dealing with mental illness for the past 6 years. Everyone who knows me knows that I work 10-12 hours daily. If I’m not at my regular job, I’m somewhere doing a side job. Like you, I have many questions as to the specifics of what happened, when and where. What I can say for certain is that I had no involvement with this incident nor had any knowledge of the incident. I did not know the victim or her family and do not know how or if my son knew her prior to the incident. I’m not on the run. I told the detectives everything I knew about my son. My family and I did not have anything to do with Kingston’s actions. I’m getting inbox messages and screenshots that are full of lies. I hope to do an interview with a news station for the public to help clear up this matter from my perspective. I can’t imagine how painful this is for the victim family. Please allow the law to do there [sic] job. I am fully cooperating with law enforcement. They know of my whereabouts."

Smyrna police murder investigation

Smyrna Police upgraded the charges against Kingston Bradley after executing a search warrant on Friday and finding additional remains belonging to Shanteria Mosley inside a vehicle's trunk on Friday. On Saturday evening, police said Mosley, known to friends and family as "KT," is believed to have been killed between 10 a.m. and noon on Wednesday. 

The backstory:

It all started around 6:57 p.m. Wednesday when officers first went to the apartment complex after receiving a report that the woman’s phone and vehicle were at the location.

Lt. Meredith Holt said an officer spent about 30 minutes knocking on doors and talking to people at the complex, but police did not have information at the time indicating a critical missing person case or immediate danger. Since Mosley was last seen in Atlanta, her family was advised to file a missing person report with Atlanta police.

Smyrna police were called back to the complex at around 8:16 p.m. Witnesses reported seeing Kingston Bradley carrying a tote from his apartment shortly after the first officer left. Witnesses followed the container and identified the apartment Bradley allegedly came out of.

Officers found Mosley's torso inside the container. On Friday, Smyrna police upgraded Kingston Bradley's charges to malice murder after locating additional remains inside a car trunk while executing a search warrant.

RELATED STORIES: 

• Smyrna suspect charged with murder after dismembered woman identified
• Smyrna man arrested after dropping tub with woman’s dismembered torso

Suspect mental health background

Court records filed this week show Bradley had previously applied to Cobb County's Mental Health Court program following a prior arrest for battery.

An assistant district attorney noted that Bradley wanted to withdraw that application to pursue admission for inpatient treatment.

Neighbors share condolences 

What they're saying:

Park Valley resident Dee Davis expressed relief that a suspect is in custody while sharing her prayers for both families.

"You never know what's going on besides behind somebody else's doors. It's a little shaking to know that it was this close in proximity," she said. "My heart goes out to both families because both families have lost someone one way or another. So, yeah, I say my condolences and my prayers." 

Unanswered questions in case

What we don't know:

Police have not revealed a potential motive for the killing or clarified how Bradley and Mosley knew each other.

Next steps in court

What's next:

Bradley remains in custody without bond as Smyrna Police continue following leads and interviewing potential contacts in the case.

Further court appearances regarding his charges and legal representation are expected to be scheduled in Cobb County.