Is Dennis Earl Bradford Crazy? Man Charged with Slashing Jennifer Schuett Gets Eval
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (CBS/AP) It's the next chapter in the unlikely two-decades long survivor saga of Jennifer Schuett. A North Little Rock man charged with the 1990 attempted murder of Schuett in Texas has waived extradition, and must undergo a physical and mental evaluation, according to KTRK.
Dennis Earl Bradford was arrested Tuesday and waived extradition to Texas Wednesday morning during a court appearance in Little Rock. His next court appearance was set for Oct. 21, the television station reported.
The 40-year-old Bradford is charged with kidnapping, raping and slashing the throat of a then 8-year-old Schuett in Dickinson, Texas, in 1990.
The victim told reporters Tuesday that she never gave up hope her attacker would be brought to justice.
"I hope that my case will serve as a reminder for all victims of violent crime to never give up hope in seeking justice, no matter how long it might take," said a tearful Schuett, now 27, and still living in Dickinson, about 30 miles southeast of Houston.
FBI investigators say Bradford was identified as a suspect when DNA taken from the scene of the 1990 crime matched a sample taken from him after he was convicted of kidnapping in Arkansas in 1996.
At the time of the Schuett assault, Bradford, originally from Dickinson, lived about two miles from the apartment where the victim was kidnapped, according to the arrest affidavit in the case.
Schuett was taken from her family's apartment in the early morning of Aug. 10, 1990.
From her hospital bed after being found, she told investigators through handwritten notes that she was asleep in her bedroom when a man who identified himself as "Dennis" opened her window, grabbed her and drove away with her. While she was in the car, the man choked her four times. He took her to a wooded area, got her out of the car, undressed her, sexually assaulted her and then used a pocket knife to slash her throat, according to the arrest affidavit.
She was discovered about 14 hours later in a field by a group of children.
Bradford has been charged with attempted capital murder and faces up to life in prison if convicted. His bail has been set for $1 million, according to KTRK.
See More of her story at CBS affiilate KHOU
EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: Crime Scene in 1990.
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October 13, 2009 - Will Dennis Earl Bradford's DNA Bring Justice for Jennifer Schuett 19 Years After Rape?