A Rushville woman indicted on first degree murder charges in Fulton County last year after leading authorities on high speed chase with a stolen vehicle from Beardstown has been found not guilty by reason of insanity in her Cass County charges.
42-year old Kelly N. Bradbury was arrested on July 31st, 2023 in Monmouth by authorities after she allegedly took a vehicle by knifepoint in Beardstown. According to the report at the time of the arrest, officers determined that Bradbury had sustained self-inflicted wounds and was treated on-scene in Monmouth until Galesburg Hospital’s Ambulance Service arrived and took her to a Peoria-area hospital for treatment. She has remained lodged at the Schuyler County Jail since her arrest.
In September 2023, Bradbury was indicted in Fulton County after an investigation into the death of 72-year old Donald N. Danner of Ipava. According to an information filed in Fulton County Circuit Court obtained by WMBD, Bradbury allegedly killed Danner by stabbing him multiple times with a knife on or about the afternoon of July 31st. Bradbury is due to return to court in Fulton County on the murder charges on September 3rd.
Bradbury appeared in Cass County Court on aggravated vehicular hijacking and Class 3 felony theft between $500-$10,000 with threat intended.
According to information from Cass County State’s Attorney Craig Miller, Bradbury was found not guilty by reason of insanity on the Cass County charges after both the state and defense stipulated to an evaluation completed by Dr. Joshua Camins of the SIU School of Medicine. Camins found that as a result of a mental disease Ms. Bradbury was unable to appreciate the criminality of her conduct with regard to her offenses.
As a result of the stipulation, Bradbury will be evaluated by doctors from the Illinois Department of Human Services to see if, and what, mental health services she requires and provide a report to the circuit court. Based on Illinois statute, the court will then have the authority to sentence Bradbury to the custody of DHS for up to the maximum time she would have been eligible in the Department of Corrections; in this case 6-30 years at 50% credit for any time served.
Bradbury will return to Cass County Circuit Court on September 23rd for her DHS sentence.