Naman Shrestha
In October 2014, the entire community of Silver City, New Mexico, was left shell-shocked as a 23-year-old mother of two and nurse named Cassy Farrington was found dead in the bathtub of her rented apartment. Although the case initially went cold, Cassy’s parents were determined to get justice. Later, the investigation led the police to her ex-husband, Bradley “Brad” Farrington. All the intricate details of the case and the investigation that followed are explored in NBC’s ‘Dateline: Suspicion in Silver City’ with the help of exclusive and detailed interviews with Cassy’s loved ones and the officials who helped solve the case.
Bradley “Brad” Farrington Evaded Justice For More Than a Year
Bradley “Brad” Scott Farrington was once a Silver City police officer, married to Cassy Brooks Farrington, an aspiring nurse who became pregnant with his child at 16. After she graduated from high school, Brad and Cassy married and began living together. In a few years’ time, the couple had two children — Tristan Scott and Lila Zoey Marie. It is alleged that Brad was physically and mentally abusive towards Cassy on multiple occasions. The former police officer also allegedly controlled various aspects of her life. Being in law enforcement at the time, Brad allegedly made wrong use of his position and told his wife that filing a domestic violence complaint against him would not do her any good, as he was a cop. As per investigative reports, he also threatened to kill her and told her how he could get away with it.
It is alleged that Brad was also abusive towards the children. Unable to tell the cops, Cassy allegedly opened up to her family and friends, telling them of many instances of the alleged domestic violence and other abuses inflicted by Brad. Finally, in 2013, Cassy and Brad divorced. A few months later, tensions between the former couple rose as they fought for custody of their two children. By then, she had moved on and begun dating David Berry, who became close to her children. Enraged by the situation, on March 24, 2014, Brad visited Cassy’s Silver City house, where he strangled her to death while she fought for her life. At first, the former cop was hardly looked at by the authorities.
However, when Cassy’s family raised their concerns about the same, he became the focus of the investigation, as he and Cassy were in the middle of a contentious custody battle at the time of her murder. During the investigation, the detectives learned of instances where Brad allegedly put her daughter in a headlock and also told his son about his plan to kill Cassy and David. After gathering enough evidence against him, the authorities obtained a warrant for his arrest in October 2015. At the time, he was hiding out in the Tucson area. With the help of the US Marshals Southwest Investigation Fugitive Task Force in New Mexico, the police tracked him and arrested him near the Walgreens on Grant and Silverbell Roads on October 23, 2015.
Bradley “Brad” Farrington is Seemingly Incarcerated at a New Mexico Prison
In August 2018, Bradley “Brad” Scott Farrington’s murder trial got underway. During the trial, the prosecution presented testimonies from witnesses, including Cassy’s family members, friends, and coworkers, who talked about the alleged domestic abuse Brad inflicted on Cassy and their volatile marriage. On the other hand, the defense argued that no physical evidence linked him to the homicide. After four days of testimonies, the jury deliberated for four and a half hours before reaching the final verdict. On August 16, 2018, Brad was convicted of first-degree murder in connection with the strangulation death of 23-year-old Cassy Brooks Farrington. A few weeks later, on September 7, the convict’s sentencing hearing took place.
Cassy’s father, Mark, took the stand and addressed the killer: “Brad, do you remember 10 years ago we had a conversation about Cassy’s dreams and goals in her career and you said you were on board with that? I would like you to sit back and think how much differently life could be. Tristan and Lila are going to want to know the truth about their mother. I hope you are man enough to tell them. Our family is extremely grateful for the court, the District Attorney’s Office. We would like the maximum sentence so that our grandchildren are protected from him.” Her mother, Darlene, also gave an emotional victim impact statement. She asked Brad, “Why? Why did you have to kill her and in the manner that you did? I pray you never walk the streets again for murdering Cassy. This won’t bring my daughter back, but at least you can’t hurt the kids anymore or anybody else. I feel you are pure evil.”
Her sister, Elizabeth also spoke during the hearing. “I’m Cassy’s little sister. Losing Cassy was very hard for me. We were in a great place. She was helping me plan my wedding when you killed her. She missed the birth of my two children. I miss her so much and every day I wish she was here. I hope her kids someday will find out the truth. She was a wonderful mother. She was a best friend that anyone could wish for,” she said. In the end, Brad was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after three decades. The following year, he filed an appeal to get his conviction overturned, but in October 2020, the state Supreme Court rejected his motion and upheld his conviction. As of today, he is possibly serving his sentence at a prison in New Mexico.
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