DURHAM MAN DAVID BRIDON SENTENCED FOR MURDER IN WASHINGTON AND TRANSFERRED TO UK PRISON IN 1991

In September 1987, David John Bridon, a 21-year-old from Durham, England, was sentenced to nearly 27 years in prison for the murder of a 15-year-old girl in Washington. The British army deserter had pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on August 6th, in exchange for the prosecution not pursuing the death penalty, which could have been applied if found guilty after a trial.

During the sentencing, Snohomish County Prosecutor Michael McGee described the victim, Laura Michelem Thelan, as having been savagely beaten and strangled by what he called a "trained soldier." Prosecutors stated that Bridon had gained the girl’s trust by claiming he was a Dutch citizen on tour and befriended her during a bus trip from Spokane.

Authorities reported that Bridon checked into a motel after arriving in Everett and later went to Thelan’s home while her mother was absent. He then attacked her, beating and strangling her before carrying her to the closet, where he left her to die under a pile of old clothes.

The girl’s mother discovered her body when she saw blood dripping from the ceiling and opened the closet door. A nationwide manhunt ensued, with authorities initially believing Bridon had fled to Canada. However, he was arrested on August 26th in Tucson, Arizona, after allegedly stealing money and a credit card from a family he was staying with.

Bridon was sentenced to serve 26 years and 4 months, with the earliest release date set for 2004.

In 1991, Washington officials approved Bridon’s transfer to a prison in the UK, and he has since been released.