Sword and Scale Nightmares - Semper Fi

Episode Date: September 27, 2026

February 24, 2016, in Kingston, Laura Buckingham had built what seemed like a picture-perfect life, until a bitter custody battle began to unravel it. Behind the façade, a plan took shape, one that involved a disgraced sniper, a hired killer, and a price tag on a father’s life. But as the plot moved forward, not everyone was who they seemed, and one decision changed everything. In the end, the most dangerous person in the room wasn’t the one anyone expected.Get commercial free access to over a decade of Sword and Scale's true crime podcasts at http://swordandscale.com

Laura is staring at a set of photos laid out in front of her. They're horrific, to put it mildly. Almost too terrible to be true. In them, Bradley Sutherland lies motionless in a pool of blood. He's the father of her young son, the man at the center of a bitter custody battle. And now, the images in front of her show him lying dead. For most people, seeing a loved one like this would bring them to their knees.

Bradley is supposed to be alive, doing normal things, like picking up his son, going to work, living his life. But Laura's life has already veered far off the path of normalcy. She's a former Marine, a mother, and now a bakery owner, who not long before this had been photographed in an apron with her three-year-old in her lap, looking like the picture of domestic tranquility. With shaky hands, she looks back and forth between investigators and the photos. Then she responds exactly how she thinks she's supposed to.

Welcome to Sword and Scale Nightmares. True Crime for Bedtime. When nightmare begins now. If you'd encountered 29-year-old Laura Buckingham in the right month, moment of her life, none of this would have made any sense. You'd have seen a Marine serving in Iraq. A smile stretched across her face as she tended to wounded children. She served from 2004 to 2008, and during that time she earned a good conduct medal and an Iraq campaign medal. Shortly after her time in the military, she went back home and set her mind on building a business. She loved to bake what she called weird breads with no restraints.

She started by selling loaves on the side of the highway, but her small venture soon turned into a large storefront. It would be called bread and breakfast. That's clever. And she set a grand opening plan for July of 2013. Her bakery, situated in New Albany, Indiana, sold a romantic image of traditional Americana. With elaborate window displays and frilly aprons,

it was the kind of scene from a Norman Rockwell painting, the kind that just doesn't exist anymore. This was her reinvention. Publicly, Laura didn't look like a woman who had problems in her life. She looked like a shiny American hero, mother of the year, a strong pillar in her community. And for a while, all of that was true. Her bakery was thriving.

and in 2015 she made it on to the cover of a folksy local magazine called Southern Indiana Living. The photo they used featured Laura and her son in what looked like a rustic movie set. They were covered in flour as they rolled out dough and Laura looked happy as a clam. Why wouldn't she be? But in this life, you don't always get what you want, like Mick Jagger used to say. By late 2015, she's leaving Indiana. Her business, unfortunately, has failed, like so many do. So she hangs up her apron and moves to Kingston, Tennessee, to be with a new man.

Her relationship with the father of her son, Bradley Sutherland, had completely imploded, and the two are tangled up in a contentious custody situation. She's making weekly trips back and forth to exchange her son, and more often these days Laura is finding herself worried that she's going to lose custody altogether. Anything that happens in her life, Bradley, is attached to it, at least until their son is 18. Laura wants to be free, after so many years under rigid rules in the military. She wants to move wherever, do whatever, and make decisions for herself and her son without interference. And right now, Bradley, the father of her son, is standing in her way.

But there's something hopeful in Laura's life, her new boyfriend. His name is Joseph Chamberlain, and he's also a former Marine, a sniper, actually. He's got his own baggage and a dark public history, but he's handsome and he's skilled, and she believes she's got him wrapped around her finger. He's exactly the kind of guy Laura might see as useful if a problem needed some. solving. Joseph Chamberlain knows what it's like to be watched. He knows what it's like to be track like prey. But he also knows how to be a tracker. He's been living under this weight for years. It was once a Marine sniper having gone through training that rewires your brain. In January of

2012, a grainy video surfaced online. It was only 17 seconds long, but it showed four Marines standing over bodies of dead Taliban fighters. In the clip, they're laughing and urinating on the bodies. Joseph Chamberlain was one of them. The clip swept across the internet, causing international outrage. Oh my God! How dare they piss on someone that wants to kill us? The footage got picked up on every major news network and was replayed and dissected for weeks. it was very lucrative rage bait, sponsored by all the usual sponsors,

and disseminated by mainstream news. Joseph's name became associated with words like court-martial and demotion. After this, he wasn't seen as a hero anymore. When the Marine Corps opened an investigation, the scandal became a formal case. Joseph was identified, charged, and eventually pleaded guilt. He was demoted from his rank, had to pay fines, and was pushed out of the life he'd been building. But it didn't end there. Years later, the case got revisited.

Joseph's appeals moved through the system, and eventually the military appellate court overturned his conviction, agreeing that the case had been compromised. But his reputation, though, was ruined, and it seemed there was no hope of repairing it. I didn't piss on anyone, but I know how he feels. Say the wrong thing online these days, and they will crucify you until the end of time. Nobody has a real job. What else is there to do? By the time Joseph headed back to Tennessee, the war in the Middle East was mostly over. But his notoriety had already settled in ahead of him.

He started a residential construction and remodeling company and laid low for a while, rebuilding his stable life. Though headlines fade, that clip lives online forever. Joseph knows it'll continue resurfacing, recycling, and reattaching itself to his name no matter how far he runs. At some point, he even publishes a book attempting to defend himself, to reclaim some control over how the story is told. But once this kind of damage is done, it's like trying to get an ink stain out of white fabric. There ain't that much tied. in the world. Joseph isn't looking for problems when he meets Laura, if anything, he's trying to

avoid them. She understands parts of him that most people don't. The military, its structure, and how hard it can be to reintegrate once you get out. It's an easy thing to bond over and soon enough they're getting pretty close. They eventually settle into something that looks stable. They're just two people with complicated pasts trying to rebuild a new, quiet life. But Laura's life isn't quiet. She's stuck in a loop with a routine structured around constant back-and-forth, kid exchanges, meetings with lawyers, and general custody drama. No matter where Laura goes, Bradley Sutherland is hanging out, tied to her through her son.

That's how it works, though, so, you know, plan ahead. lately the pressure of having this unwanted third party has been mounting specifically for Laura the first time she brings it up there's nothing odd about it it's the usual complaint she wishes Bradley would just go away father of her son just go away she's frustrated feeling trapped in a situation she can't easily fixed and joseph feels for her sometimes he too wishes that Bradley would just leave them alone. But that's not what Laura means. Later on, when she brings it up again,

it comes out with more intent. Instead of just complaining, she starts asking questions, circling around the idea. It's clear she's been thinking about this on her own. Don't you have some friends that could take care of this sort of thing? How could this be taken care of? she asks. Joseph thinks it's a joke. She knows what he did in the military.

She knows exactly what he was trained in, and more importantly, she knows he's willing to bend the rules. But Joseph is on a new path. He's trying to be noble, law-abiding, to be both a respectful and respectable man. He can sense that Laura is serious about this. Fear creeps up into his chest. He thinks of his family.

He's got two kids of his own, and this woman is clearly cold-blooded, something he couldn't see until just now. He racks his brain looking for the right response, something that won't escalate the situation and turn her against him. Sure, he says. He decides he's going to play along. He definitely does not want to be next on her list.

But now he's in a position he didn't ask for. He has no intention of carrying something like this out, and he knows no one he trusts would either. But Laura is expecting a solution. He can't keep going along with it forever, and at the same time, he knows he can't ignore it. The next time she brings it up, Joseph is ready. He's got a hidden recording device. He lets her talk, lets her explain exactly what she wants, and how she wants it done.

She's not venting anymore. They're now in the realm of full-on premeditation. This woman is actually trying to have the father of her child murdered by her new boyfriend. This is really happening. Once Joseph has enough of it recorded, he takes everything he has and brings it to the Rhone County Sheriff's Office. Now other people are listening.

And instead of shutting it down, they decide to let it play out. 29-year-old Laura Buckingham is trying to build a new life in Tennessee after getting out of both the Marines and a failed relationship. Her custody battles with Bradley Sutherland had her feeling trapped. And as that pressure builds, she turns to her new boyfriend, a former Marine sniper named Joseph Chamber. She thinks Joseph can help her, that he's got friends who can take care of this sort of problem. What she doesn't realize is that Joseph isn't as criminally minded as she apparently is.

But Joseph lets her believe he's going to find a hitman. to get the job done. He wants to keep himself in her good graces and keep her talking. As the things Laura says continue to escalate, Joseph decides he needs to record their conversations. Soon enough, Joseph takes what he's gathered and presents it to the Rhone County Sheriff. Every step from this point forward will be guided by law enforcement.

After reviewing Joseph's recordings, the sheriff gets the Tennessee Bureau of Investorses, investigation involved, and the ball is rolling. Fast. The team decides an undercover agent needs to play the role of the hitman. Joseph introduces the guy to Laura. When they meet, there's no hesitation. Laura is excited to finally get this done, and the conversation moves quickly.

They discuss practical details and agree on a price. $30,000. She pays a $1,000. first half up front, and she'll pay the remainder when she believes Bradley is dead. Around this same time, she posts something to Facebook saying, every heartache, closed door, and letdown turns out to be a blessing. Wow, what a bitch. While she's publicly presenting one version of her life privately,

she believes she's found a way to murder her ex, and she's nothing but optimistic about it. And then you wonder why you can't get a date in 2026. Meanwhile, in a circle full of Rhone County investigators and TBI agents, someone dials Bradley Sutherland's phone number. What they share with him is so shocking and almost ridiculous sounding that Bradley thinks he's being pranked. When reality actually sets in, they explain exactly what Laura believes is going to happen.

And as a team, Bradley included, they're going to make it look like the plan worked. In a downtown Louisville parking garage, DBI agents carefully staged the scene. Bradley, fake blood and all, crouches down to lie on the concrete floor. He splays himself out unnaturally, trying his best to play dead. Never in his life did he think he'd find himself in a situation as bizarre and uncomfortable as this. The camera lens snaps open and shut. They've got to get this right. Get a shot that looks unmistakable.

I've seen plenty of those in the last 13 years. A group of agents look at the camera monitor satisfied. They have what they need. The undercover agent has been in contact with Laura the whole time, giving her the impression that the plan is unfolding exactly the way it's supposed to. There are no sudden changes. no red flags, nothing to suggest anything is off.

Then he sends her the photos. They're indistinguishable from a real crime scene. There's no way she won't be fooled. Somewhere else, another group of investigators is tracking Laura's next moves. They want to see if she follows through with the second half of the payment. If she does, it's the final nail

in the already nailed-in coffin. And sure enough, she's gotten what she asked for. So she sets up another meeting with the undercover agent and she hands over the cash. Once the money changes hands, there's nothing left to negotiate. They've got her. About two weeks later, on February 24, 2016, Laura Buckingham, beloved mother, breadmaker, and American hero, is arrested. From the moment she's in custody, the case against her is unusually straightforward.

They have the recordings, the meetings, the transfer of funds, and the moment when she believed she'd really killed Bradley. Laura is charged with criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder, but the only thing separating this case from a real homicide is the fact that the man she hired wasn't a killer at all. And the man she targeted never actually died. Had things gone according to her repulsive plan, Bradley would be gone forever, and her child would no longer have a father, which is exactly what she wanted. Over time, the charge, for some reason, probably because she's female, is reduced to solicitation to commit first-degree murder. And Laura pleads guilty. In April of 2019, she's sentenced to get ready for it.

years of supervised probation, along with community service and counseling. That's it. No jail time. Are you fucking kidding me? The sentence is a gut punch to everyone who realizes how close this came to actual murder and anyone with an actual fucking conscience. The only reason this didn't end in a tragedy is because of what? one man's decision to do the right thing. Joseph recognized what he was hearing and made the decision to step back instead of step in. Years earlier, his name was tied to a moment

that followed him out of the military and into civilian life, reshaping how people saw him long after the fact. This time, Joseph Chamberlain made a noble decision with an immeasurable impact. Bradley Sutherland is still alive simply because of his actions. You might think Joseph is glad this chapter is closed and glad to have Laura out of his life.

But both men will be tied to Laura Buckingham forever. At the time of her arrest, Laura was pregnant, carrying Joseph's child while arranging to have the father of her first one murdered. If you enjoyed the show, please consider joining plus at swordendscale.com slash plus. But if you can't, consider leaving us a positive review on your preferred listening platform. Sweet dreams and good night.