True Crime with Kendall Rae - Wife Killed on Luxe Fiji Honeymoon Before Husband Flees on Kayak?!

Episode Date: May 15, 2025

What was supposed to be a romantic honeymoon in paradise turned into a nightmare. In this episode, Kendall dives into the heartbreaking case of Christe Chen, a 36-year-old pharmacist from Memphis who was found brutally murdered in her luxury Fiji resort villa—just days after marrying her husband, Bradley Dawson. — This episode is sponsored by: ​​Getcontact Nutrafol - Promo code: KENDALLRAE Factor - Promo code: TCKR50off Check out my foundation: Higher Hope Foundation: https://www.higherhope.org Watch my documentaries: 530 Days: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjUWkmOjNLk Apartment 801: https://bit.ly/2RJ9XXr True Crime with Kendall Rae podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3rks84o Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3jC66pr Shop my Merch! https://kendallrae.shop Check out my other podcasts: Mile Higher (True Crime) @milehigherpodYouTube: https://bit.ly/2ROzJcw Instagram: http://instagram.com/milehigherpod The Sesh (Current events, a little true crime, pop culture, and commentary) https://bit.ly/3Mtoz4X @the_seshpodcast Instagram: https://bit.ly/3a9t6Xr *Follow My Social!* @KendallRaeOnyt Instagram: http://instagram.com/kendallraeonyt Facebook: https://bit.ly/3kar4NK True Crime TikTok: https://bit.ly/3VDbc77 Personal TikTok: https://bit.ly/41hmRKg REQUESTS: General case suggestion form: https://zfrmz.com/yg9cuiWjUe2QY3hSC2V0 Form for people directly related/close to the victim: https://zfrmz.com/HGu2hZso42aHxARt1i67 Join my discord to chat with other viewers about this video, it’s free! https://discord.com/invite/an4stY9BCN C O N T A C T: For Business Inquiries - [e-mail] Send me mail: Kendall Rae 8547 E Arapahoe Rd Ste J #233 Greenwood Village, CO 80112

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of True Crime with Kendall Ray. Thank you so much, as always, for joining me. I'm so happy to have you here. My co-host is not with us today. My cat Lily, I love her so dearly, and I'm very sad about this, but she is, it's really not that big of a deal, but I know pet owners understand. She had to go under today and have a couple of teeth pulled. And I'm sure she's not very happy right now because she is currently in recovery at the vet and we're about to pick her up. And, yeah. Yeah, she just obviously couldn't be here today, but my new co-host, well, temporary co-host for the day, Lucy, my dog, my beautiful dog Lucy decided to join us, and she's being such a good girl. Honestly, she's very, I guess she's getting older now, but she's always had a lot of energy and I never knew if she could sit in on a recording and behave herself. So the jury's still out on that. We'll have to see how she does, but I don't like recording alone. I always need my pet buddies. And, you know, normally my dog Bernie's here too, but he is at the vet with Lily also getting a few teeth pulled. So, yeah, Lucy's going to be joining us today.

Every other show that I record, I always record with other people, our producers, other co-hosts. And this show, I always feel kind of lonely because I'm down here by myself in my basement studio. And so I love having an animal with me, so I feel a little less alone. So I'm glad Lucy was willing to fill that slot. But anyway, guys, today, Man, we are talking about a case that has really, really pissed me off hearing the details behind this, and I think you are going to walk away feeling the same way. I mean, I'm sure you do it with pretty much every case I cover, and I always do as well. But this one is just infuriating and also just incredibly sad and has left me in a lot of ways just feeling super confused. Today we're going to be talking about the case of Christy Chen. And I say that I feel confused because she was someone who was murdered while on her honeymoon. And I'm sure you can guess who did it, her husband. And that's what's so confusing to me is how can you go from marrying someone to

going on a honeymoon together in a beautiful, very expensive location, which I will explain, to ending their life. It just, it makes no sense. I will never understand cases like this. This was a time in Christie's life where, you know, it was supposed to be filled with so much excitement and love, so much bliss, hope for the future, and all of that was just ripped away from her. This is a case I've been keeping my eye on for a while, but now that there's finally a conclusion to it, I felt like it was a good time to share it with all of you. And with that, let's go ahead and get into today's case, starting with some information about Christy Chen and who she's. was while she was still alive. And I'll say right off the bat that information on Christy's early life hasn't been made super available, but here's what we do know. Christy was an only child, and she was really seen as someone with a incredible work ethic, a very big heart, and a sweet, fun, and kind of

quirky personality. Sources say that she didn't have a mean bone in her body, and she always made sure that in any situation, everyone felt included. And I also thought this was really cool. Christy was a pastry chef here in Denver, where I live, and she had her own bakery called Sweet as Pie. And I actually was able to find an older article that was written about her bakery, and I thought it would be cool to read that to you guys and, you know, share a little bit more about that part of her life with you. So this is from 303 magazine, and it was written by Callie Sumlin. While Chen is originally from China, she spent most of her youth in Memphis, hence the full menu of Southern Clarend. classics like biscuits and gravy and hummingbird cake, although Chen is a recent graduate of Johnson and Wales pastry program, she didn't want a bakery full of overly fancified, complicated

desserts. She wanted to feature the standards of her upbringing, done well. I think she succeeded in crafting a rotating menu with a nice balance of nostalgic and updated more modern flavors. Biting into her chocolate chip cookie, I was transported to a bakery my mom used to take me to as a kid. No surprises, just a favorite baked to perfection. The article also goes on to talk about how Christy was really focused on quality over quantity, and it sounds overall like she was really, really a talented pastry chef. But after building this great, beloved business in Denver, she actually ended up going back to school to become a pharmacist. She ended up moving and went to the University of Tennessee and ended up becoming an award-winning pharmacist. In April of 2020,

she won the Walters Cluer Clinical Drug Information of Excellence Award in Clinical Communication. And she even received a grant to further her research, which was actually focused on the social detriments of health and low-income areas, which in my opinion is an area that always needs more research and more people like Christy. So after graduating, she ended up getting a job working as a pharmacist at a Kroger in Memphis. And from everything I read, she was doing really well in life, which is not surprising considering her drive and determination and just overall ability to succeed. So that brings us to November of 2021, which is the month that she ended up meeting a guy named Bradley Dawson. When it comes to Bradley, I mean, like Christy, we don't have that much information available about his upbringing and whatnot, but honestly, I don't really care at all.

But we do know that he worked for a nonprofit called Youth Villages, which provides help for children. children who face a wide range of emotional, mental, and behavioral problems so that they can live more successful lives. And it's really disappointing, quite frankly, for someone who worked in a nonprofit like that doing excellent work, ended up doing what he did. And it's hard to even wrap your mind around how you go from A to B. Now, how the two of them met seems to vary by source. It's a little bit murky. It was hard to really get an idea of how they met, and how their relationship evolved. They're all pretty vague, most of the sources, but there's no denying that this seemed to be a whirlwind romance. It's said that they bonded over their love of long

distance running, and after only knowing each other for three months, they ended up getting married. And get this, Brad was going through a divorce during all of this. And that divorce finalized in January of 2022, and February is when he and Christy got married. And knowing what we know, Now, I've got to say I'm very curious about how his marriage was with his ex-wife and what led to that ending. And, you know, I can't speak on what I don't know, but I don't know. I feel like there's probably more to that story as well. But Brad and Christy ended up having a super small wedding ceremony. And then the following day, they hosted a reception at a historic inn called the James Lee House.

And their wedding was actually the first time that a lot of her friends were, meeting him. And I don't know if in that short of a time frame, her friends and family were, you know, really able to get a read on him or get a true sense of who he was. But they all said that Christie just seemed really happy. And of course, all they wanted was for her to be happy. And as far as we know, Christy was happy. And she was also super excited about her honeymoon that they were planning to go on in July. And it was going to be a very, very nice honeymoon. So several of her friends have now spoken out in the aftermath of all of this saying that Christy really couldn't wait to start this next chapter of her life. And it wasn't just their honeymoon,

of course. She was also excited to come back to Memphis afterwards where they had just bought a new home and they were hoping to start a family. But Christy really never got the chance to do any of that, including enjoy her honeymoon because she never made it back from that trip. On July 7th of 2022, Christine Brad flew out to Turtle Island, which is in Fiji, and let me tell you from the pictures and videos I have seen of Turtle Island or Fiji in general, this place is unbelievably beautiful. I mean, the resort alone looks straight out of a screensaver. It reminds me of like a white lotus type resort. Super, super fancy, very high end, lots of coin to go there. I mean, everything that you would picture Fiji to be, that's what this place is. Gorgeous, turquoise,

water, warm sandy beaches, private bungalows, the whole nine yards. And if any of you guys know the older movie Blue Lagoon, Turtle Island is actually where it was filmed. And I know that this is actually a very controversial film now, with the main character being 14 years old and practically naked the whole film. But yeah, I just wanted to give you a little bit more reference about where the honeymoon was. And when I tell you guys, this place was exclusive.

It was exclusive. Turtle Island is really small. It's actually only 500 acres, and the only people on the island are actually guests of the resort and staff who live there. And guests are limited to 14 couples at a time because they actually only offer 14 private bungalows. And like I said, this place is, as you can imagine,

extremely expensive. The minimum per night cost is $2,500, but that's if you only go with the most basic package, which is pretty mind-blowing to think about. $2,500 per night, let alone that being the, like, bottom of the barrel package. On the higher end of things, you could be spending twice that much per night, and there's a five-night minimum. Plus, there's only one week out of the year where families are allowed to go, so it's almost always just groups of 14 couples. And this place is so busy that when you stay there, you actually get your

own personal butler, or like, maybe concierge isn't the right word. I think it's really just referred to as butler that's like dedicated to you and making your trip amazing. They plan out all of your meals and activities. They clean your bungalow while you're away for the day doing whatever and they're there if you need anything at any time of the day. So to be going there for their honeymoon was exciting for them to say the least. And it's also been reported that Christie's parents actually paid for their trip to Turtle Island and also that Turtle Island was somewhere that her parents have gone before. So my guess, if all of that is true, is that it might have been sort of a wedding present to them or something like that. Christy is said to have done a lot of luxury traveling

in her life with her mom growing up, but as for Brad, I'm not sure what his travel history was. What's strange, though, is that it's been reported, keyword reported, of course. I've just got to say, there's a lot of details in this case that are not fully confirmed. But going off of what has been reported Brad's first wedding was in Fiji as well. And I've even seen a few sources saying that he had been to the same resort with his ex-wife, which if that's true, it's wild to think that he would want to go back a second time with his now second wife. And if I were Christie in that situation, that would make me feel really weird. I mean, maybe some people wouldn't care about something like that. And I don't even know if she knew that. But I just thought that was such a strange

detail. And it is a detail that I will be bringing up later on as well. But anyways, this is where they were staying. But that excitement was very short-lived because less than 48 hours after they arrived, she was murdered. It was July 9th, which was a Saturday, and that was supposed to be the start of their third day on the island. This was their second full day, but technically third day overall, if that makes sense. So on this third day of their honeymoon, their butler noticed that it was kind of strange that they failed to show up to breakfast that day. Now, of course, it wasn't a huge deal. I'm sure this happens all the time. They're on their honeymoon after all, so maybe they're sleeping in or, you know, enjoying their honeymoon. And I don't think they thought too much of it at the

time. But then they missed their scheduled lunch, which was definitely a little bit bizarre. However, Again, people do whatever they want to do on their trips, especially when you're paying this much money. And so I don't think their butler was thinking this was anything to be alarmed about at this point in time. So he went on with his day as normal, which included going to clean their bungalow. Now, he had been there earlier that morning, but he saw the do not disturb sign on the door, so he didn't disturb. He didn't go in. But this time he did. And when he did, right off the bat, he didn't see anything immediately concerning.

The room was a little bit messy, so he started cleaning it up. But then by the time he got to the bathroom, that's when he saw her. Christy's body was in the bathroom. And I hate that these words are even coming out of my mouth, but she had been shoved in the space between the toilet and the wall. And the butler also saw blood all over the bathroom. I mean, she was like lying in a pool of her own blood. And there was also pieces of broken glass from a window. And he also noticed that the top of the toilet cistern had been cracked.

And no shock here, but Mr. Brad was nowhere to be found. So the butler immediately called the manager of the resort. And the manager then called the authorities from a neighboring island. And the manhunt for Brad began. And one of the first things that police noticed right off the bat is that wherever Brad went off to, he took his wallet and his passport with him. But conveniently, of course, he left behind his phone and his smartwatch, obviously because both of those have GPS tracking capabilities.

And after a 36-hour search effort, they not only found Brad on a neighboring island, but they learned that he fled via kayak. And the thing about where he fled to is that it also wasn't a very big island. So the people that lived there were the locals. It wasn't a tourist destination in any way where he, you know, could have blended in as a tourist. So he really, you know, stood out pretty quickly and listened to this. According to a local man named Manoa, he found Brad drunkenly stumbling towards the

village around 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 10th. And he appeared to have blood and bruises on his palms and feet, which Manoa assumed was probably from him falling onto coral. And he and Brad had an interesting conversation, to say the least, if you can even call it a conversation, because because Brad was still incredibly drunk, not making any sense, and Manoa even said that he could smell the alcohol on him. And he just kept repeating, please, I need to call the police. He also kept repeating, we had a fight, and he didn't provide any context to what he was saying,

just that they fought and he needed to call the police. Now, really in any circumstance, this would be concerning, obviously, but Manoa was particularly disturbed because his island doesn't get tourists from Turtle Island. I mean, they'll get the occasional like surfer or snorkeler even. Maybe they'll find their way over, but it never had been someone from the resort. So to see Brad just ending up over there out of nowhere in the condition that he was was pretty jarring. Manoa said that he tried to get him to calm down by offering him food and water, but he just kept refusing and only after he really insisted he was able to get him to drink a little bit. And once Brad

calm down, he ended up explaining what was going on a little bit more. He basically said that he kayaked over there around 2 or 3 a.m. after getting into a fight with his wife, which wasn't much, but it was helpful in terms of understanding the timeline of what happened here and how he ended up there. And thankfully, the authorities did come and find him, and they brought him back to Turtle Island and then to the main island where they charged him with his wife's murder. So I'm sure you're wondering what actually happened, how did things go this bad, just 48 hours into their honeymoon? Well, we do have a little bit of insight thanks to the staff and also other guests and what they witnessed. And it all started on the night of July 8th. That night, the resort hosted what they like to call a family

fun night, which is when all of the guests party on the beach with the staff and the staff's families as well. And I guess at first, everything was going well. I mean, everyone seemed to be having a good time, but despite having a good start their night, things went south very quickly. Apparently, Brad and Christy had a couple of shots and got a bit drunk, which is pretty normal on a honeymoon right. But that is when he started acting and dancing inappropriately with another woman on their honeymoon. He starts dancing inappropriately with another woman 48 hours into his honeymoon. How disrespectful can you possibly be? I mean, this just really tells you so much about Brad and his character. And I'm not sure if it was a guest or a staff member who

noticed this, but they noticed that Christy was upset about it, which anyone would be, right? I mean, if that were me, I'd be so angry and devastated. So at some point, they leave the party, and they continue fighting elsewhere on the beach. And then they went back to their private bungalow, and that was sometime around midnight, and the fighting just continued. And we know this, because whoever was in the bungalow next to theirs remembers hearing the arguing, followed by a loud scream and then silence. So this person that is hearing all of this ends up actually calling the resort staff to make a complaint. But nothing was done about it, which is very disappointing, especially for a resort like this.

But then a little bit after that complaint was made, someone on the resort's security team saw Brad just pacing back and forth the length of the island. And then shortly after that is when he grabbed a kayak and high-tailed it out of there to this other island, which was a little over a mile away. And what's crazy is that apparently Brad ended up making a confession, really, when he was questioned in their custody. He explained that at that beach party, he and Christy were taking shots and having a good time, but then they started to argue. However, of course, he said he was too drunk to remember what it was about very convenient for you, Brad. But he did remember that they went back to their bungalow where they began to undress and get ready for bed. And he claims that when he went to give her a hug,

she got angry again and started questioning if she even wanted to be with him, which is apparently when it became physical. But he said that she was the one who hit him first. And even if that were true, and personally, I don't believe that was true, but it really doesn't matter because there is no excuse for what he did, and I don't give a fuck if she hit you first. But according to Brad's version of events, after she hit him, he sort of lost it. And then they continued this scuffle in the bathroom. And that's where the fight ensued that resulted in Christy's death. He basically said that he was like super drunk. And then the next thing he knew, she was bleeding from her head next to the toilet, instead of helping his wife or alerting someone to get her help,

he paddled away like a little bitch in panic. So yeah, he confesses all of this. And this next part will not be surprising to you at all. It wasn't to me. But of course, he ends up walking back this confession and actually completely stopped cooperating as soon as he got an attorney, which I'm sure his attorney just told him to do that, but either way. No shock here, but he wouldn't comply with giving them a DNA sample. And he would, was now saying that when he left her, that she was still alive, which is absolutely outrageous and makes me even more mad. I don't know how he thought that would work in his favor at all. I mean, you just look like the worst human in the world leaving her in that condition,

and she was still alive and could have been potentially saved. Make it make sense, Brad. Nothing you're saying adds up at all. Now, meanwhile, back at home, poor Christy's parents are getting the news that they never in a million years would have expected. In fact, they were so shocked that when they got the call, they thought it was a prank call when the State Department called them in the middle of the night. I mean, how shocking would that be to get that call in the middle of the night? But this was very, very real. Their only child, who meant the world to them, was now gone at the hands of a person who had just taken a vow to love and protect her for the rest of their lives.

And that is what is just so mind-blowing in cases like this where, you know, there are a lot of murders that occur on honeymoons. And how can you stand up in front of the friends and family of a woman who you love? And I don't know exactly what their vows were, but I'm sure it was along the lines of, I vow to love you forever, to protect you, to keep you safe, to love you unconditionally, through sickness and in health, all those things. and then go right around and do this like pretty much immediately, a couple days into the marriage. There are no words to describe how horrible this must have felt for her parents. After witnessing this person, say all these things, saying that they're going to love and protect their daughter,

and then to get a call like this, while they're on a trip, a honeymoon that were, according to sources, they paid for. I mean, how painful would that be as a parent watching your child in this time that is supposed to be so happy where they have all this excitement for their future and, you know, are wanting to start a family one day and maybe you're going to have grandchildren to this so quickly. I can't even wrap my head around what that would feel like. And to make this horrific tragedy 10 times worse, they found out that her injuries were so bad. that her body couldn't even be embalmed. Her parents had flown to Fiji as soon as they could to get her remains,

but they learned that the wounds to her head were so severe that the embalming fluid would have leaked out. So they had to make the decision to cremate her in order to bring her home. And not surprisingly, the autopsy revealed that Christy's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, and it's believed that her injuries were sustained as a result of being struck with the lid from the toilet. Now, this part is not confirmed. I want to make that really clear. Take this with a huge grain of salt, but I've seen a lot of other people speculating about the fight that they got into that night and have wondered if it's possible that Christy didn't know that he had already been to this resort with his ex-wife. And that's, of course, assuming that that fact is true as well. So, yeah, this is like pure speculation territory, and I want to make that really clear. But, A lot of people have wondered and brought up the idea of maybe she found out that he had been

to Turtle Island with his first wife and this is what they were really fighting with. But of course, you know, on top of the fact that he was flirting with someone else on the beach. And not just flirting. I mean, people say they saw him dancing suggestively inappropriately with another woman while his wife was there. And many people believe that this was a crime of passion. I mean, I certainly do just based on the severity of her wounds. But let's get back to what we actually do know, okay? Now, as far as the legal proceedings in this case, everything actually took place in Fiji,

which makes sense since this is where the crime occurred, of course. And like I already explained, Brad got a lawyer and at that point just completely stopped cooperating, which is not really shocking. Well, Christie's family also hired an attorney, and they were clear from the beginning that they'd be pursuing a civil lawsuit against him if for any reason he was found not guilty in the criminal war. And let me just tell you, his attorney was convinced that Brad was going to be found innocent, which oftentimes they are, right? They've got to have this confidence in their client and portray that to everyone else as well. I mean, I wonder how much he actually thought that, but it seemed like he

really did. His whole message seemed to be that this was just a terrible accident, so unfortunate. And, I mean, honestly, guys, I found this attorney to be incredibly. disrespectful and I know, you know, the world of defense attorneys is so hard because there are so many great ones out there who really help people in need, of course, but I always find it so hard to understand how you can defend someone who is so obviously guilty. I mean, I just don't know if I could sleep at night if I had to be in that position. I know that at the end of the day, his job is to get his client off, but the words that he used to explain what happened just felt incredibly slimy, just gross. His attorney said, quote, there's no way he can be convicted of murder. On the evidence

that they have presented so far, there's no proof of the charge of murder with intention to kill or premeditation. Nothing of that sort whatsoever. On the face of it, it looks like an accident. An accident? Are you fucking kidding me? Are you seeing what we all see here? How can someone say that with a straight face? Close my mind. And he also had the nerve to talk about how Brad was so distraught about what happened, more what he did, but yeah, what happened that he couldn't talk for days. Poor Brad.

And let's all just remember that brady boy over here had no trouble talking to Manoa and the police when he was first taken into custody right after it all happened. You'd think that'd be the point where you're in so much shock where you can barely talk, But no, he's at this point. He can't even speak. Yet his attorney said, quote, something surprising happened. Surprising happened.

He really fucking said that. He was really distressed when it happened. Last week, he was in desperate condition, but he's picking up now. It's a horrendous thing to happen on your honeymoon. What? What universe do you have to be living in to think a statement like that

is at all appropriate or makes any sense in any way. Clearly, he is trying to paint Brad as the victim in all of this. It's just, it's so disgusting. I don't even have words. And as for why Brad, you know, hopped on his little kayak in the middle of the night and sailed across the sea a mile over to this other island, he explained that it was just because he was panicked and in shock. Yeah, I'm sure he was panicked.

But of course, being panicked doesn't make you any less guilty. If anything, it makes you look more guilty, Brad. Especially when you stop and think about the fact that even though he was so panicked and shocked, he still made the decision to leave behind his devices so that no one could track him and he only brought his wallet and his passport. Which, by the way, they found that he was carrying $1,000 in cash as well as her license and credit card. And of course, that in the eyes of her family's attorney was a couple of. clear indication that he was trying to flee. He knew exactly what he did and he was trying to get the

fuck out of there. Their family attorney believes that he was trying to get to the main island and just dip out from there, which doesn't make any sense at all. What an idiot that he even thought he was going to be able to do that, but he obviously only made it as far as the island that he was found on. So in court, they argued that he shouldn't receive bail because clearly this dude is a flight risk. But of course, his attorney adamantly denied that his client should remain in jail pending trial. And this is actually insane, but Brad and his attorney were trying to convince a judge to release him on bail by saying that he'd stay on the island with a friend who lived there and that he'd surrender his passport. But when the judge looked into this friend, he learned that this dude was

currently facing charges for... Drum roll please, sex crimes. And Brad's attorney also tried to argue that his client was not in good health. Poor Brad, and he had been prescribed certain medications that he needs to be able to consult his medical practitioner about. He also tried to argue that he has no criminal record or no pending cases, and that his mom was, quote, fully dependent on him and that if he is further remained in custody, she will suffer mentally. If he is granted bail, he will be able to keep in touch with his mother via phone so that her health does not deteriorate. Booh fucking who. Nobody cares. I can't even believe they tried to use that as an excuse. And I'm not saying I don't care about Brad's mom's health. And, you know, it's not Brad's

mom's fault, as far as we understand. My heart goes out to her as well, that she is losing her son, too. But what about Christy's mom, right? She doesn't have a daughter anymore because of Brad. I just think his attorney making an attempt to use his mother and her health as a reason to keep him out of jail is just so fucking pathetic and ridiculous. And Braddy Boy must have been feeling pretty confident because he actually brought his suitcase to court, thinking that he was going to be released. Luckily, it didn't work, though, and it decided not to grant him bail in a September 14th hearing. So another thing that Brad's attorney failed at doing was trying to get his confession thrown.

now because in several court appearances, he tried to say that it was inadmissible since his client didn't sign the confession. He also said that there was no eyewitnesses and the quality of evidence against Brad was not good enough to get a guilty verdict. And in all honesty, it didn't come fast or easy. There were many delays in the process and it took over two years for the trial to even begin. And again, no surprise here, but during all of that time, Brad was trying to say that the whole thing was an accident. And he actually gave an exclusive interview to ABC News from a jail visiting room where he said that the only reason he fled the island was to give her some space. Are you, be so fucking for real. This guy is unbelievable. He tried to say that it was normal for him

to take a walk when they got into fights. And of course, that's very normal for a lot of couples to do. But that's not what happened here, Braddon, doesn't explain or justify what you did in any way. Even if the two of them had never gotten into a physical argument in the past like he was saying, I don't know if you understand this, Brad, but your past doesn't make you innocent if you do something illegal in the future. That's not how it works. And in part, he said, what I can say is I am sorry for the situation we are all going through right now. What? We were supposed to have an amazing holidays and I lost my life. Just thinking she's not here anymore is so painful. I am thinking of her all the time. We were supposed to have an amazing life together. Yeah, and you

threw all of that away. This is only on you. He even said that he's praying every day, and he called her my everything. It truly just pisses me off beyond words. I mean, for you to have the balls to even try to say anything along these lines is absolutely insane. I don't know what is going on in your head or what reality you've tried to create for yourself or I guess you're just really trying to create this reality for everyone else, but it is not reality at all. And I think what pisses me off the most here is that he is trying to make it sound like it's something that happened to him. He is reaching for sympathy. The truth is you made this happen. You did this. You ruined the chance for your future. You took her away from everyone in her life that she loved.

and they will have to live the rest of their lives without her. She won't get to go on and potentially have children or fulfill any of her other dreams. Everything ended that night for her because of you. There is no sympathy to be had for Brad at all. And any suggestion that she got those injuries from slipping and falling, which is actually something that they tried to argue. They really did. It's just complete and utter bullshit.

I can't even believe they tried. And thankfully, and not surprisingly in my mind, the jury was not taking any of that bullshit. They saw right through Brad and his attorney. The idea that Christie could have sustained any of these injuries in any other way by any other person is just nonsense. It's ridiculous. Not to mention that an innocent person, accident or not, doesn't get his ass on a kayak and try to leave to get some space. I mean, what reality are you trying to? trying to feed us, Brad. This was a clear attempt to flee, to run away from what you did and try

and get away with it. And thankfully, he didn't make it very far. Now, as for the trial, it took place in Fiji in December of 2024, very recently. And after eight days of testimony, his sorry ass was thankfully found guilty. In a statement given by the judge, he said in part, for the A for said reasons, I am of the opinion that the defense's version cannot be believed. And the same version is rejected. Having analyzed all the evidence in its totality, I am of the opinion that the prosecution witnesses were all truthful, credible, and reliable in their testimony. Now, as for his sentencing, Brad was facing life in prison, but there was a possibility that he would be given parole. And just a couple months ago, in February of 2025, he was sentenced to life with parole

eligibility in 18 years. Now, of course, that doesn't guarantee that he'll get out, but it does mean that he will have the opportunity to present a case for why he should be released at that time. Now, obviously, I personally don't believe that he should ever get the chance to be released, and I'm sure most, if not all of you, agree with me there. Sadly, we can't control that outcome. I really hope I have to have faith in humanity that when he gets that opportunity, that it won't actually pan out in his favor and that he will hopefully remain behind bars the rest of his miserable life. I definitely want to hear your thoughts on that one.

And also just before sentencing, Christy's parents got to speak, and I wanted to read you part of what they said. First, her mom said, I hope the memories of what you did to her in her last moments haunt you, because you are a monster. No mother should have to know that this is how her daughter's life ended, and by the hands of the very person who took a vow to love, honor, and cherish her. I can only hope that the rest of your life is filled with misery,

loneliness and despair. And then her dad said, she was my only child, my little girl, and my reason for living. Every day since her death has been a struggle to find meaning

in a life that now feels empty. And God, my heart just breaks for her parents knowing the pain that they are going to have to carry for the rest of their lives, knowing how Christy's life ended in such a horrific way

by someone who was supposed to love her. That has just got to be so painful as a parent to accept And, I mean, we can't forget the fact that she was their only child. It's just sick beyond words. It's so unfair. It makes me so angry. And I can't imagine how her family and her friends feel.

And a lot of them have expressed, you know, the anger and the sadness, but also a little bit of confusion because friends of Christy say that they don't ever remember her mentioning the two of them having arguments. And some of her friends say that they can't even believe that he would do something. like this to her. It was shocking to so many people. And it's just a reminder, I think, for us all, that even if someone doesn't have a history of violence, that doesn't mean that they're not capable of committing a crime like this, of doing something so brutal and evil to someone who they supposedly love. And of course, just because she didn't tell them about any fighting going on,

that doesn't mean it wasn't going on. Oftentimes people will hide things like that. And I certainly don't know if that was the case at all. There's no, you know, evidence to back that up when it comes to her relationship with him. But it turns out he actually does not have a great history with women. An ex-girlfriend of his from college spoke out and she said that Brad was very jealous and controlling. I guess he even pushed her one time, which obviously is a much smaller scale, but someone who is capable of pushing their partner is definitely capable of escalating that behavior. People have said that apparently he would black out and do horrible things that he didn't even remember doing, which is really scary, especially when you think about the fact that he and Christy were drinking that night.

Of course, that is in no way an excuse for his behavior and what he did because Brad and Brad alone is responsible for her death, whether he was blacked out drunk or not. It doesn't matter. It's just horribly sad to see someone's life end this way, someone who had so much to look forward to, so much potential was just so kind and, loved by so many. To have all ended like this is just devastating. It's hard to really wrap your mind around, you know? My heart truly goes out to Christy's friends and family. What a massive, unnecessary, painful loss.

And yeah, I just, my heart breaks for you all. I definitely want to hear all of your thoughts on this one, especially what you make of his sentence. Should he be eligible for parole in 18 years? I'm guessing you're going to say. No, but if not, tell me why you think he should. I think most of you are going to agree with me that he should spend the rest of his miserable life in jail where he belongs. That is going to be it for me today, guys.

Thank you for joining me for another episode. And make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked. Or you can just search Kendall Ray. I will be back with another episode soon. but until then, stay safe out there.