Thou Doth Protest Too Much

It is no secret that Patrick Bradford has had the support of his family (both biological and in-laws) and friends from the very beginning. Their support of him and belief in his innocence has never wavered. To rational thinking individuals, this is a sign of character. His family, who would know him better than anyone else, continues to vocalize their support for him and attest to his innate goodness of spirit.

Yet, former Detective Guy Minnis does not see it quite that way. When a Law and Society class at St. Louis University studying the Bradford case decided to email Minnis for his perspective, they received a fiery and demeaning response about Bradford's character. He didn't stop there. He intends to drive the 3 hours on Nov. 28th, possibly with the entire "team" in tow (Levco, Storey, et al.) to try and persuade this group of students that their support of Bradford is misplaced. This is certainly reason enough to take pause and question his motivations. And there is more.

Not only does he intend to speak to the class, his correspondence with the professor of that class indicated that he had been following the student/class blog and other social media outlets where the case was objectively dissected with the help of Bradford's daughter Amy. In Minnis' fiery onslaught against Bradford's character he suggests primarily: that he (Patrick) is a narcissist and manipulator who, by manipulating his family has done almost as much harm to them as by murdering Tammy *Not in those kind of words. And much more.*

This sort of response reveals a lot about Det. Minnis. Is he so blind that he cannot see the flashing lights? Family support is not indicative of manipulation. The accusation that Patrick Bradford has been skillfully manipulating his entire extended family for 20 years from behind the walls of his prison cell is nothing short of ridiculous. It is very clear to (most) people that Patrick has the support of his family because he was unjustly accused and convicted of a heinous crime that they believe him incapable of committing--not simply because of his good nature but because the facts support his innocence.

Minnis' determination to defend his position--particularly to a group of college kids in Missouri-- 20 years later tells a startling truth about his conscience. Not only can he not put this conviction to bed, he feels the need to do some damage control. Methinks he doth protest too much! What Minnis should consider is this: The truth can't be buried or explained away. It is here to stay and so is Bradford's support.