A Fort Hood-based soldier is due in a Tarrant County courtroom Thursday for allegedly shooting and killing a Marine and wounding his wife.
Ricci Bradden is being held on $500,000 bond in the murder of Anthony Antell and an additional $15,000 for aggravated assault against a family member for shooting his wife in the foot.
Bradden’s attorney is asking a judge to reduce that bond, for among other reasons that he acted in self-defense.
In early May Bradden went to his wife’s place of work, a Walgreens in Arlington, where they got into an argument and he shot her.
Antell, a well-known and liked fitness instructor in Arlington, witnesses the incident while sitting in his vehicle with his wife. When he saw Bradden try to leave, he tried to stop him.
According to Arlington Police, Bradden exited his vehicle and shot and killed Antell before leaving the area. Bradden eventually turned himself into authorities in Hill County.
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In a court filing, attorney Peter Schulte says his client is a member of the U.S. Military and has no other known criminal history. Schulte says at the time of the June 9 filing his client had not been formally charged. Court records show Bradden was indicted on Tuesday.
Schulte then refers to a possible defense of his client’s alleged actions, by sighting the laws typically referred to as the “Castle Doctrine”.
“Additionally, as to this offense, the Defendant does have applicable defenses to the alleged crime, including, but not limited to, the ‘castle doctrine’ related to vehicles and self-defense. See, TEX. PEN. CODE § 9.32 (Vernon 2016). In order to be able to adequately represent the Defendant, undersigned counsel respectfully requests the Court to reduce the bond to an amount that the Defendant can post so he can be released to better prepare his defense.”
While the words "Castle Doctrine" do not appear in Texas law, they are the words used to describe the legal concept that a person’s home is his or her castle. The self-defense laws also apply to a person’s business and vehicle.
A hearing on the proposed bond reduction is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday in 213th District Court.
