Murder suspect admits to killing man and setting his body on fire, cops say

A 38-year-old man has been charged with fatally shooting another man in the head, dumping his body near Myakka City and setting it on fire, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Aaron Koziak, 38, who has a criminal history, was developed as a person of interest by investigators and arrested on unrelated charges, according to the sheriff’s office.

Koziak later admitted to killing 35-year-old Antonio Bradley and taking his body to MJ Road in Myakka City, according to the sheriff’s office.

Bradley’s body was found on the side of MJ Road in Myakka City around 11:20 p.m. Nov. 14 after a witness saw the body on fire. His body was placed on a piled of firewood, according to Koziak’s arrest affidavit.

Through the burns, deputies saw what appeared to be a single gunshot wound in Bradley’s head, according to the affidavit. An autopsy performed by the medical examiner confirmed Bradley died as a result of a single gunshot wound to the head, the affidavit noted.

Firefighters arrived and put out the flames but Bradley’s body had been severely burned. His body was later identified and his name was released by the sheriff’s office on Friday.

The State Fire Marshal’s office also came to the scene on MJ Road with a K-9 and confirmed there was an accelerant in and around the fire, according to the affidavit.

On Nov. 15, the day after his body was found, investigators met with the victim’s family who said Bradley had been using a “newer model gray Ford pickup.”

Deputies learned Koziak owned a 2016 gray Ford F-150 and on Monday, found the truck parked at the Vista of Palma Sola apartment complex on 75th Street West where Koziak lived, according to the affidavit.

Deputies arrested Koziak on the unrelated charges as he left his apartment.

During an interview with investigators, Koziak admitted to shooting and killing Bradley, taking the body to MJ road and using firewood and gasoline to set it on fire, according to the affidavit.

Jail records show Koziak is currently being held on charges of dealing in stolen property and providing false owner information on pawned items.

According to the arrest affidavit, Koziak was fired from his job at Electronic Protection Systems (EPS) on Nov. 14 and failed to return several tools.

Investigators found he pawned fiber optic repair kit tools at Buccaneer Pawn, 3118 First St. E. in Bradenton on Sunday and he received $40. The tools were later found to belong to EPS.

Koziak’s previous arrests in Manatee County date back to 2003, and include possession of a controlled substance, DWI, driving with a suspended license and a concealed weapons charge.

Judge Renee L Inman ordered Koziak beheld without bond during his first appearance hearing Tuesday afternoo and appointed the public defender’s office to represent him. His charges included murder, defrauding a pawn broker and dealing in stolen property.

‘He was my hero’

The youngest of five children, Justin Bradley, 30, looked up to his older brother Antonio, who he described as a devoted father, brother and gifted athlete whose unexpected death is weighing on their close-knit family.

“Everything he did was for family and to make sure that we were all taken care of,” Justin Bradley said. “He was the glue that kept us together.”

Antonio Maurice Bradley, who went by “Moe” was the second-oldest of his siblings who played basketball, football and ran track at Booker High School, and, Justin recalls, was “good at everything” he tried.

“He was my hero,” Justin Bradley said. “He was a well-respected athlete in the area. He was always the life of the party.”

Antonio’s death has been hard on the family, Justin said. While each of them are handling the news differently, his mother will “never be OK.”

The arrest, he said, did take a small weight from his mother’s shoulders. But his mother, Yolanda Charles, said her heart is hurting.

“That was my king and I was his queen,” Charles said.

Gathered together in Charles’ garage Tuesday afternoon, several family members and friends cried as they talked about “Moe.” The one thing Charles said she would remember most was his smile.

“For me, I’ve been really angry,” Justin Bradley said. “I’ve been looking at his kids and trying to figure out what I can say or do.”

A father to two sons and two daughters, Antonio Bradley was “a dad before anything else,” Justin Bradley said.

“Everything he did every single day was about his children,” Justin Bradley said. “He loved them with everything he had in him and he will always be there always watching them.”

Montyeaka Phillips, the mother of one of Antonio Bradley’s children said she is not sure how she will tell her son about her father’s death when the time comes.

“I just hurts me that as close as they were, (my son) won’t remember him,” Phillips said.

But, Justin admitted, his brother made mistakes.

Antonio Bradley was released from prison on June 1 after serving just under a year on an 18-month sentence for possession of cocaine. He had also been convicted of obstruction, sale, manufacturing or delivery of cocaine and battery on an official and served two prior stints in state prison.

“He only lived that lifestyle to support my mom,” Justin said.

“He made sure I would never make the same mistakes he did.”

Charles said Koziak was someone who worked with her son and befriended him.

Justin would not say much about how his brother knew Koziak or why he was using Koziak’s truck, but said he knew the two were acquaintances who were “seen together a lot.”

This story was originally published November 20, 2018 at 10:03 AM.