A Killer in the Family

by Peter Ross Range

Bradford Bishop had it all: a beautiful wife, three towhead sons, a nice home in a quiet Maryland suburb, and a promising career in the U.S. State Department. But on March 1, 1976, he threw it all away. After finding out he’d been passed over for a promotion, Bishop snapped. He went home and, in an act of unspeakable brutality, murdered his wife, his three boys, and his own mother—five people in all. Then he vanished off the face of the Earth. Or so it seemed. Almost forty years later, Peter Ross Range (author of the bestselling Murder in the Yoga Store) delivers the definitive story of Bishop’s life and crime, following the trail from his privileged upbringing in California to his wily escape, including never-before reported details and chilling theories as to where he might be today.

Cover design by Adil Dara.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Crime, Mystery, Biography, History

51 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 29, 2015

Reviews

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m really hating myself because I have not read about this crime so if ANY OF YOU know of one of the books about this PLEASE comment below!

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Bradford Bishop Jr. worked four years in counterintelligence before he moved to the State Department to be a diplomat. After being passed over for a promotion on March 1, 1976, Bishop left work, went home, and killed his wife, mother, and three boys in their Maryland home. After putting the bodies in his vehicle, he drives to a rural area in North Carolina where he digs a shallow ditch and sets the bodies on fire. When the forest catches on fire, people stumble across the bodies and a manhunt begins. Bishop is tracked to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park where he disappears.

I picked up this book to read a True Crime story for a challenge. This book tracks the search for a killer. Several reported sightings over the years have proved to be false. Bishop was put on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List. They are still looking for him after 45+ years. My rating: 3.5 Stars.

[Rachelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The walls of his life were closing in on him.."

Brad Bishop was simply an evil coward, the fact that he managed to fade away without being brought to justice for more than 40 years, ensures this case will remain fascinating and shrouded in mystery.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was browsing Audible, and I saw that they had a ton of short true crime selections, so I snagged a bunch of them. This was the first one that I listened to, and... Meh. I mean, it was kind of interesting, but even though it continually foreshadowed that there was no resolution "to this day" I still kept waiting for the outcome and conclusion. And then there wasn't one.

And so then the whole thing is just... conjecture and theory. And then I was just like "Why did I just spend an hour and a half listening to this?"

The crime was pretty horrific, and knowing that there has been no justice for longer than I've been alive was pretty disappointing. So that's how I'll rate this.

[Kit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing: ★★★★
Story: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★

Overall rating: 4.6

A Killer in the Family is, as the book states, "Like a movie with no ending".

Brad Bishop was the killer next door, that by all outward appearances had the perfect family. A pretty wife and three sons who excelled, as their parents did, in almost everything they did. Spending much of their lives on the ski slopes and tennis courts of exoctic places that Bishops job afforded them.

With his wife, mother, and three sons found in a shallow grave in North Carolina bludgeoned to death, buried and burned, the hunt was on. And for almost 40 years, that hunt has continued. Sightings from around the globe have all come up empty. No real trail leading the FBI to the whereabouts of Brad Bishop.

Is he still alive? Was he also a victim; laying decayed in some unmarked grave somewhere in this vast world? Or is he still living under the radar, "hiding in plain sight" as some law enforcement officers on the case believe?

Brad Bishop will be 80 years old on August 1st of this year. Would he still be able to be in hiding, or have natural causes claimed him. Could he really still be alive and not sought out medical care, medications, had surgery, all to do with the natural progression of age, that could have gotten him captured?

So many questions, and after 40 years no concrete answers.

This was a well researched story, and even though it's a short one, it packs a lot of relevant information in it's 49 pages.

I hope there is closure to this case, one way or another, not only for his family that he, allegedly, killed in cold blood, but for the many law enforcement officers over the years that have dedicated a lot of their time, and career, to finding Brad Bishop.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a recounting of an horrific family murder - clearly by the head of that family - and a frustrating update!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting crime of Brad Bishop. Now I’ll be looking for tv shows on him.

[London · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just fine

For a true crime fan such as myself there are still tonnes of cases to be found. This was a classic family annihilator but with a twist. where the heck is he now?

[Anastasiya M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another true-crime audiobook I found in Audible’s Plus Catalogue and another case I haven’t heard of before.

The narration was fantastic and made the audiobook chilling and fascinating at the same time.

I couldn’t shake that someone could commit such crimes and yet manage to fade away without a trace. It’s unimaginable yet it clearly happens. Although I doubt if it was luck after listening to the whole story, I’m convinced that there were inevitable inner cover-ups to help Brad Bishop just ‘disappear’ without a trace.

Read more here: https://sincerelyyoursannie.wordpress...

[Karina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is so boring, I just don’t see the point in it !! It already states throughout the book that there have been multiple books written on the killings so why do another when your just being told other people’s facts !
I kept reading because I thought it had to get better or more exciting, but no, there was no sign of any. I deserve a medal for reading 80% of the book !

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read. It's a story of s State Department employee who kills his wife, mother, and 3 children. This was in 1976 and to date he hasn't been found. It's too superficial for me, I like my true crime stories to get more into the hows and why someone becomes a killer.

[Barbara Canfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mesmerizing

A story with no definite conclusion. Draw one yourself. The story kept me engaged the whole time. I am a fan of "true life" mysteries and this certainly is one. Liked reading it, well written. Hope they catch that guy, or find out what happened.

[veronica flitney · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rubbish

Not really a book. A collection of records or other people's thoughts that anybody could have done. Not very well done

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Kindle Unlimited read, short at just 51 pages and a great introduction to the old case of William ‘Brad’ Bishop, who I had never heard of. Peter Ross Range uses his skills to investigate and write about his thoughts on what may have happened and why.

William Bradford Bishop, known as Brad Bishop, a state department diplomat left work early on 1st March 1976 and purchased some tools on his way home. After the usual family routine of dinner, walking the dog and putting the kids to bed, Bishop methodically massacred his family with a hammer. Killing his wife, mother and three young sons. He then loaded them and the family dog into the family station wagon and drove them for seven hours where he dumped the bodies and set them alight, then drove another 400 miles before abandoning the vehicle and disappearing forever. Almost five decades later, this cold case has intrigued law enforcement officers, journalists and amateur sleuths for all this time. Peter Ross Range adds new revelations in an accessible manner, laying out the case, what happened and his own thoughts on the case.

This was a great introduction for someone who knows nothing of the case, though I am sure that those who have followed it know most of what is revealed. What makes a mild mannered, well educated, gainfully employed man take these actions and where has he managed to hide for so long, if he is even still alive.

A Killer in the Family goes through many theories about what may have happened, who else may have been involved and what may have occurred including several comments on the investigations. I liked the nod to many conspiracy theories surrounding the case and will be looking into it further for myself as there is no doubt a lot more to learn that such a short account could cover.

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[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

William Bradford Bishop was born in California in 1936. He obtained several masters degrees in various subjects, and was reported to be a highly intelligent person. He married his high school sweetheart, Annette Weis, in 1959. He joined the United States Army, working in counterintelligence. He and Annette had three children, all boys. He was attempting to get a promotion, failed, and told his secretary he was feeling unwell and left work. He stopped at a store, purchasing some items that included a sledgehammer and gas. He went home and murdered his family. Police believe that he killed his wife first, then his mother, then his three sons. After he piled the bodies up and set them on fire, he took the family dog and went on the lam.

This book is available on Audible Plus currently. It was about an hour and a half long, so I listened while I folded some laundry and made dinner. I was not overly impressed with this book, but it was free to listen to, so no harm done. I thought it was interesting that they found his car abandoned not far from where I live. Police think that he took off on the Appalachian Trail. There were several reported sightings of Bishop over the years, but he has not yet been caught. I think I was disappointed because there wasn't a resolution at the end of this book. I thought it was interesting to note that in 2021, some woman discovered through an ancestry DNA test that she was his daughter, so he definitely procreated at least once more after killing his family.

[Jill Crosby · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to this one on Audible, so while
I found the reader’s performance to be smooth and clear, it wasn’t enough to rescue this dash of true-crime-meets-conspiracy-theory nonsense.

We learn only superficial info about the killer, Brad Bishop, who murders his family with a hammer, then drives them to North Carolina from a DC suburb, Burns their bodies, and buries them in a shallow grave, then goes and buys a pair of Converse tennis shoes and disappears for 30 years (spoiler alert: he’s never been apprehended).

Where did he go? Well, that’s the second half of this Kindle Short—he’s been spotted by State Department spouses all over the world—on Swiss trains, London Buses, The Paris Metro, anywhere of consequence. His past job as a minor diplomat leads the writer to produce a string of conspiracy theories involving the CIA, the FBI, the State Department, Mr Phelps and his self-destructive reel-to-reel tape, the Bolsheviks, the Brown Shirts, The Warren Commission—you name it. They all had an axe to grind with this junior government employee.

I couldn’t wait for it to end. And I don’t even care if they catch him

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not usually a massive fan of the “true crime” podcasts or shows or things of that variety, although we don’t yuck someone else’s yum in this house. But it’s just never been my thing at all. So I was quite surprised that I decided to download this audiobook and give the genre a go.

The story is about a man called Bradford Bishop, who one night in 1976 murders his wife, his mother, and his three sons before driving from Washington DC to North Carolina to try and dispose of their bodies. He was never caught and that fact is one of the scarier elements of the story as a whole to me.

There were a few moments, especially when looking at Bishop’s background and education, that seemed like the author was almost admiring him and painting him as to look like someone who could never do the things he is accused of doing. But then in the next breath, is giving some pretty damning evidence to almost prove that he did do it.

So that was a little bit confusing but at the same time the story as a whole is quite compelling.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating look at a man who had everything, a beautiful wife, three sons and a career with the State Department and yet it wasn't enough for Bradford Bishop Jr. On a cold night in March 1976, Brad systematically murdered his entire family, transported their bodies to a deserted fire road in North Carolina and attempted to burn them and the evidence against him. When his plan failed, he fled into the night and hasn't been seen or heard from since then. Earning a place on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted fugitives List in 2014, the combined forces of state and federal officials are still determined to find him or his remains. Having recently seen the Golden State Killer finally captured after living in plain sight for decades, I hope I can see the Bradford Bishop case closed once and for all.

[Elisabeth Brookshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ends abruptly

This author is talented and has written other good books. This is labeled as a Kindle Short so you know you are going to be reading the bare bones facts. I just hated the ending as I was unfamiliar with this crime so I didn't know what the outcome would be. Very much in common with John List. I'd definitely recommend reading about List perhaps instead as that book is a five star.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unsolved cases are always difficult because the culprit is never caught, and can never explain why they may have done it.

This is equally frustrating when you know who did it but are unable to hold them accountable.

The story was well told, gave great background, and was able to hold my attention, despite the fact that I knew it would end in the disappointment of no solid answers as to why he did it.

[River Scott Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed listening to this and I've nearly heard of the killer Brad Bishop a man who murdered his family, that fact that he killed his wife and children and then vanished into thin air is shocking his never been seen or heard of again and I find that astonishing that someone who did a shocking crime can must vanish.

I do wish this audiobook was a bit longer but I still enjoyed it, its a mystery that's never going to he solved I would highly recommend this to all crime lovers

[Victoria Pring · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting look into the life of a killer, facinating how a seemingly normal life can be hiding something so warped. This book definitely felt like more of an overview than anything else or cliffnotes to write a more in depth book. They could have easily gone into far more detail, Bradford is pure evil and it is awful he hasn't been caught. It is hard to know that there is no real answer to this mystery. If you are really into this case this probhably isnt the book for you.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great read!!!

I am intrigued with serial killers and what makes them do what they do...I enjoy even more reading about cases that have not been solved and possibly will never get solved. This book was one of my favorites and I will absolutely check out more information on this crime.

[Jacqueline hind Bearden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should have put his sketch or a photo of the bust in the book.. You never know who your neighbors are so you. !!!!!

Written above this.
Good read and true but needed photos of him or the bust that was made, to help catch him.

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting true crime story about a man who brutally killed his family, similar to John List. Part is a bio and part covers the search for him. He has not been found. I hope this changes, he needs to be brought to justice.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, sharp, story about the brutal murder of the Bishop family of Maryland in 1976 by (assumed) its Patriarch, Bradford Bishop; and the hunt to track him down.

A satisfactory free listen from Audible while I walked the dog.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

So just over an hour in length, this was a story I hadn’t heard of. Very interesting. Unfortunately there is no closure for family, friends, or the officials who were and are involved. Sort of mind boggling.

[Ronda Wian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unknown

Brad Bishop another D B Cooper ? We will never know . A mystery that will never be solved. For real ?

[Ashimadayal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet

Short, brief and very informative. Doesnt delve much into the psyche but presents all relevant information in an unbiases manner.