Anguished mom screams and wails at son-in-law in court after he 'murdered her daughter'
A devastated mother was heard screaming and wailing in court as she confronted her son-in-law after he allegedly murdered her daughter with a baseball bat.
Brandon Gregory, 56, made his first court appearance on Friday to face charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter, tampering with physical evidence and concealment of a dead body in relation to the death of his wife, 41-year-old Alison Gregory.
As an Arizona judge considered how high he should set Brandon's bail, he heard from Alison's family members, who told how she and Brandon were in the process of a contentious divorce and she was about to leave their house when she was killed.
'Alison struggled so hard to get away from him and she was so close to it,' Alison's mother cried out in court, according to Arizona Family. 'He took her away from us.
'Please, please do not ever let him out again,' she pleaded, as she expressed concerns for her two granddaughters who were left without a mother.
'It's horrible... It's sickening,' the grieving mother said, after asking the judge whether she was allowed to use curse words in court.
'He is such a coward,' she continued. 'If he wanted to kill somebody, why didn't he kill himself?'
She then turned her attention to her son-in-law, saying: 'Brandon, I hate you forever. I hope you never, ever, ever get out of prison.'
Police in Surprise, Arizona have said they were contacted on May 14 about a missing woman who was supposed to pick her mother up from the airport, but never arrived.
During an ensuing investigation, officers learned that Alison had been texting her boyfriend earlier in the day, writing that Brandon was acting strange, 12 News reports.
Those texts then stopped at around 11.30am.
When officers later arrived at the Gregory home, they found signs of a 'physical struggle' and began looking for the couple's vehicles - a Subaru Ascent and a Ram 1500 pickup truck, according to court documents.
As the cops searched the home, they allegedly found a small drop of blood in the hallway.
Police then widened their search, and found Brandon's pickup truck parked in a lot roughly two miles from their home.
Inside, there was a notebook and luggage - but no signs of Alison or her Subaru, police have said.
At that point, they decided to request the help of other law enforcement agencies.
Together with the Wickenburg Police Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety and Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, officers were ultimately able to locate her vehicle more than 100 miles north of Surprise, at the Burro Creek Campground in Wikieup.
Brandon was still inside the vehicle when the cops arrived, with Alison dead in the backseat, police say.
After being read his rights, Brandon allegedly told police their home was in the process of being sold and Alison had asked him to leave.
He claimed the argument turned physical when Alison kicked him in the groin area while wielding a baseball bat, according to court documents.
Brandon allegedly went on to say that he took the bat from his wife, at which point she began to run around the house screaming.
The suspect then reportedly admitted to hitting Alison several times with the wooden bat.
He reportedly told officers that he administered CPR as Alison was left lying on the ground, but eventually she stopped breathing.
At that point, prosecutors allege Brandon wrapped his wife with carpet padding and put her inside her Subaru.
He then allegedly cleaned up the blood on the wall and put the cleaning supplies inside the Subaru.
Once the cleaning supplies were safely stowed away, police say Brandon drove his truck to the parking lot and took an Uber back home.
He then allegedly took the Subaru and threw his wife's cellphone and Apple Watch in a trash can at a gas station.
When he finally arrived at the campground, Brandon allegedly disposed of the bat in an open field.
By the time officers searched the Subaru, they said they found Brandon had written an apology to his daughter and step-daughter 'requesting their forgiveness for his actions.'
But in court on Friday, Alison's family had no forgiveness for the alleged murderer.
'Brandon murdered our sister and devastated our family. He left two children motherless. He stole a beloved sister from three siblings and a daughter from loving parents,' her sister said.
'Our family is horrified by these actions and broken. We are completely devastated,' she continued.
'We are left to figure out how to care for a 14-year-old girl and support a 20-year-old daughter through college. We will never be the same.'
The grieving sister then asked that the judge deny Brandon bail 'because he took her life just as she was about to divorce him and start a fresh chapter.
'We ask you to please keep him locked away from our family and society.'
Alison's brother also hit out at his brother-in-law who he said 'lied and manipulated his way back into her life.
'She uncovered more lies, lie after lie,' he claimed. 'This guy's entire life has been a lie. He's a manipulator and a murderer.'
But the judge said he could not deny bond on the charges against Brandon, and instead set his bond at $2 million cash-only.
Meanwhile, community members are rallying around the family - raising nearly $50,000 for Alison's daughters in an online fundraiser.
It says Alison 'was at everything for her youngest daughter, Stella, who is set to promote from eighth grade this year.
'Lily, the oldest sibling, is 20 years old and is now faced with hardships of trying to find housing for both her and Stella, along with any unexpected financial circumstances that come with two very young girls navigating the unknown,' it adds.
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