Husband gets 20 years for shooting wife

It seems like an appropriate sentence. She was still giving him haircuts after six months of separation and divorce proceedings. Obviously, she was still concerned about his appearance.

Somebody gives me a haircut, I don't care all that much about my appearance,but she likes to see me look a little better.

He should have realized that she was still trying to do something for him. It's too bad he didn't.

From Myrtle Beach - His insanity defense didn't work, and glad to see justice working. If he's out, he will only repeat his offense.

"This is a very, very unusual situation," Nettles said. It was the first instance in which he accepted a psychologist's determination that a defendant was insane and sent the case to a jury for a decision, Nettles said.

Does Dena know people in high places?

I am glad that the judge gave him 20 years. Maybe he can get the "help" that his family says he needs. Regardless of what he and his family claim that Dena Lester did (affairs), he had no right to harm her. It is horrifying to think that someone you loved almost killed you. Divorce is legal-that should have been his solution to the problem.

In response to Kelly - her adopted father is a millionaire, her "friend" is in local law enforcement, and the solicitor's office has been using her on domestic violence cases/speeches even BEFORE CDV was even added to his original charge months after his arrest.......anything is possible.
In response to nhoward- You hit the nail on the head! She was concerned about the appearance!! That is why she NEVER reported to anyone including his family about his suicide attempt, never admitted him to the psychiatric hospitals but let his family find him in his delusional state and take him instead ( 3 TIMES), and now tries to tell everyone his family did NOTHING. She actually said it to the Judge again yesterday before sentencing. She wants everyone to believe it and I think she has convinced herself of it.
She did testify under oath he had Never abused her before this - so there is no pattern of abuse here......EXCEPT FOR PURE NEGLECT on her part.

Concerned Citizen - Google delusional disorder and paranoia. He was diagnosed in 2005 by four different doctors at different locations. Ridiculous and heartless to think that he just went and tried the heavy duty meds , stayed a bit at each psychiatric center, just so he could shoot Dena and injure Dena and then try and USE the insanity defense.
By the way - do you think if someone tries to get a documented mentally insane person to sign divorce papers - whom you know is not taking meds and owns a gun - was doing the right thing?
Well if NO ONE KNOWS HE IS ILL - The appearance of leaving looks better - doesn't it?

I am not for using excuses to get out of anything. This was NO excuse of illness AFTER the fact. Dena was unusually cruel to my brother when he became ill and ruined the appearance of a perfectly good marriage!!
I will not stand for criminalizing the real mentally ill and this will be appealed. I know the truth and will forever continue to stand up for Brad Senter. He no more deserves the illness than she deserved getting shot!

Posy wrote:

I am glad that the judge gave him 20 years. Maybe he can get the "help" that his family says he needs. Regardless of what he and his family claim that Dena Lester did (affairs), he had no right to harm her. It is horrifying to think that someone you loved almost killed you. Divorce is legal-that should have been his solution to the problem.

Posy - help in prison? You have got to be kidding. Look up NAMI ( the National Alliance of Mentally Ill) See how prison is SOOOO good at treating the mentally ill.
This sentence was about crucifying an ill man. It was about HATE. There was no justice here. Even the Judge stated that this should have never gotten this far. The solicitor would not agree to a bench trial. He knew that 12 regular people would never give a man the NGRI verdict because they would not know he would not be walking out the door. He would have gone straight to a mental facility until a DOCTOR said he was okay.....trust me it can be a very long time.
This whole trial was for media and political gain...oh- and appearance!

By the way Posy - His family is not accusing Dena of affairs! We had no idea of that until we read the blogs after his trial. I will say - we are very curious about that now and would like anyone who knows of it to contact us or his attorney's about any information.

lisa cleary wrote:

In response to Kelly - her adopted father is a millionaire, her "friend" is in local law enforcement, and the solicitor's office has been using her on domestic violence cases/speeches even BEFORE CDV was even added to his original charge months after his arrest.......anything is possible.
In response to nhoward- You hit the nail on the head! She was concerned about the appearance!! That is why she NEVER reported to anyone including his family about his suicide attempt, never admitted him to the psychiatric hospitals but let his family find him in his delusional state and take him instead ( 3 TIMES), and now tries to tell everyone his family did NOTHING. She actually said it to the Judge again yesterday before sentencing. She wants everyone to believe it and I think she has convinced herself of it.
She did testify under oath he had Never abused her before this - so there is no pattern of abuse here......EXCEPT FOR PURE NEGLECT on her part.
Concerned Citizen - Google delusional disorder and paranoia. He was diagnosed in 2005 by four different doctors at different locations. Ridiculous and heartless to think that he just went and tried the heavy duty meds , stayed a bit at each psychiatric center, just so he could shoot Dena and injure Dena and then try and USE the insanity defense.
By the way - do you think if someone tries to get a documented mentally insane person to sign divorce papers - whom you know is not taking meds and owns a gun - was doing the right thing?
Well if NO ONE KNOWS HE IS ILL - The appearance of leaving looks better - doesn't it?
I am not for using excuses to get out of anything. This was NO excuse of illness AFTER the fact. Dena was unusually cruel to my brother when he became ill and ruined the appearance of a perfectly good marriage!!
I will not stand for criminalizing the real mentally ill and this will be appealed. I know the truth and will forever continue to stand up for Brad Senter. He no more deserves the illness than she deserved getting shot!

If you and your family "took him 3 times" than you must have known how sick he was. Doesn't that make you responsible too? If you let a drunk man drive drunk....you are responsible. If Dena Lester did not get him the help that he needed, maybe his family should have insisted. It is a tragic situation for everyone involved.

lisa cleary wrote:

By the way Posy - His family is not accusing Dena of affairs! We had no idea of that until we read the blogs after his trial. I will say - we are very curious about that now and would like anyone who knows of it to contact us or his attorney's about any information.

Who cares if she did? It makes for a bad marriage-doesn't make her a nice person-IF it is true-but is still no excuse for the shooting. You can't ebelive everything you read on the net anyway. If you are digging for dirt on the affairs-maybe you should be fair and dig for dirt on your brother too. It usually takes two to make a bad marriage.

There is a long walk between mentally ill and legally insane.(Insane is a legal term.) I do have a soft spot for the mentally ill. I do believe that most are at least somewhat aware of what they are doing. I am also accept that some are not aware of it for several days. I believe that only an experienced psychiatrist with some legal training can determine insanity, not a jury.

While visiting the beach on vacation, I read the article about Brad Senter being sentenced. I was so shocked to learn this situation had happened. I played football for Coach Senter @ Newberry College. He was a good coach. I hope that he gets the help that he needs. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.

This man certainly deserves to be behind bars, he knew full well what he was doing. He should have been charged with 2 counts of kidnapping as well. If the family doesn't think he wouldn't harm them as well than they are not in touch with reality. He would have shot them too if they got in the way.

Posy wrote:

<quoted text>
If you and your family "took him 3 times" than you must have known how sick he was. Doesn't that make you responsible too? If you let a drunk man drive drunk....you are responsible. If Dena Lester did not get him the help that he needed, maybe his family should have insisted. It is a tragic situation for everyone involved.

We live 4 hours away - he was married and living with with Dena- and she KNEW about what we were doing. She visited him and spoke with Doctors for the appearance. We trusted his wife and former counselor would continue to support him so he could get better.
Posy - I have her letter - REFUSING to put him in a mental institution. It is straight from her school email.
I have been married 20 years. My husband had cancer and guess what - I WENT WITH HIM TO THE DOCTOR"S. I never EXPECTED his mom. dad, and sisters to do it!!!!!

guilty or not, mentally ill or not, I don't know all the facts and can't make an informed decision about that. I do find it curious that a doctor from Conway KILLS his wife and gets three years and Senter gets twenty for trying. The Conway Dr's wife was cheating, he caught her, does that justify it? All things being equal it doesn't make sense the two verdicts are so different.

Peanut wrote:

This man certainly deserves to be behind bars, he knew full well what he was doing. He should have been charged with 2 counts of kidnapping as well. If the family doesn't think he wouldn't harm them as well than they are not in touch with reality. He would have shot them too if they got in the way.

KIDNAPPING? He was at his own home. She had already left months before.
Peanut - look at the police and DOCTOR"S reports so you can be more informed.

porchsittin wrote:

guilty or not, mentally ill or not, I don't know all the facts and can't make an informed decision about that. I do find it curious that a doctor from Conway KILLS his wife and gets three years and Senter gets twenty for trying. The Conway Dr's wife was cheating, he caught her, does that justify it? All things being equal it doesn't make sense the two verdicts are so different.

EXACTLY!
3 years for killing?
Brad is getting 10 for assault and battery with intent to kill ( his intitial charge)
He is ALSO getting 10 years for Criminal Domestic Violence of a high and aggravated nature ( a charge added months after the arrest)
FOR THE SAME INCIDENT!!!!!!
They all know he is ill. Something is very wrong there!!

This is one of the most screwed up cases I've ever heard about. Every expert witness (the state and defense) in no way questioned that this man was insane and needed hospitalization. I have no idea why this would of ever made it to a jury. This man belongs in a hospital not in a prison. It seems as though it was purely political and was used to make a point about criminal domestic violence... which seems like total BS because she testified that he was NEVER abusive to her before the shooting. It took years for him to deteriorate to the point where he was so paranoid that he shot her. It appears that his wife did absolutely NOTHING to try to help him for YEARS and even covered up the fact that anything was even wrong. It seems that her vanity was the main reason he got as sick as he did. If anything it seems like the family of Brad Senter should have a legitimate civil suit against Dena for neglect of a mentally ill person. But that would only have a chance in a different jurisdiction where the case could be decided by the LAW instead of POLITICS.

lisa cleary wrote:

<quoted text>
EXACTLY!
3 years for killing?
Brad is getting 10 for assault and battery with intent to kill ( his intitial charge)
He is ALSO getting 10 years for Criminal Domestic Violence of a high and aggravated nature ( a charge added months after the arrest)
FOR THE SAME INCIDENT!!!!!!
They all know he is ill. Something is very wrong there!!

To be clear I don't think twenty years is to much for attempting to kill your estranged wife. It seems to me the only point of contingency here is his mental state and I'm not qualified to make that determination. I'm more concerned about the Conway Dr's verdict encouraging people to kill a spouse instead of divorcing them because it's cheaper and three years isn't that long. Senter either needs to be in prison or in a hospital. But that begs the question if treatment could ever be succesfull and would he ever try again if given the opportunity. Lisa you are obviously very close to this situation and I don't think you should waste your time defending your brother against anonymous people online. Your energy can probably be better used in other avenues.

You are absolutely correct. I am his sister and the one who got him the only help he received. And I appreciate your view - honest.
I already have plans with my energy. I will be an advocate for my brother and any REAL mentally ill people being criminalized.
Today, I just have to release some of my anger at his sentence while he sits in jail receiving no help. Since 2005 - I have watched hill illness and I know for a fact what happened. We have not been allowed to speak out because of the possibility of offending Lester. But - my brother was a victim as well. It will be another couple of years before an appeal is heard so I have to do what I can.
Brad would have never done this if he were well. He loved Dena Lester.
Now - as far as the hospital versus prison. We did not care how long he would have had to stay in a forensic hospital. A doctor could have potentially kept him 20 years anyway. The Solicitor argued a bench trial because he KNEW 12 people thought he would walk with an NGRI verdict. The Judge is not allowed to tell them what the punishments are before they make their decision. Instead of Justice - it was a game for them.
Please do me a favor - read about Bill and Tena Neely or Kim Crespi.
We share the same philosophy about criminalizing the mentally ill.
The Neely's attended Brad's trial. We have to fight for our loved ones who cant do it for themselves. For me right now- it includes writing to the anonymous people so I do not have to think about Brad's pain.

I can only speak from what I have read, and from what I have read in the newspapers, it seems to have been premeditated. If he was so ill, how could he have "lured" Dena there, gotten the gun, shot her, and continued on with his day? Isn't that what happened in a nutshell? Without seeing all of the evidence and knowing all that occurred, I don't think any of us can make a decision on whether or not he was NGRI. There is no question that Brad does need mental help, but I don't think that being out in society and receiving that help is where he needs to be.
Maybe I'm thinking way outside of the box without knowing the parties involved, but with this type of crime and with Brad being mentally ill and Dena's job involving school-aged children... shouldn't he be somewhere where he can't hurt anyone? I guess what I'm trying to say is what if he were to snap one day (hypothetically) and go after Dena again, but in school, around the children, and what if innocent children are involved? Maybe that's why the verdict was returned the way it was?(Like I said, I'm probably thinking way outside of the box...)