A serial abuser who stabbed and shot the mother of his three children to death has been sentenced to life in jail.
Yaphet Bradley, 36, was handed the whole-life term on Tuesday after being found guilty of murdering 31-year-old Miriam Johnson in February last year before stealing $1,500 from her.
Bradley orchestrated a 13-year campaign of abuse against Miriam that began when she was a vulnerable teenager and ended with her murder, a Cleveland court heard.
Yaphet Bradley, 36 (left), was sentenced to life without possibility of parole for shooting and stabbing Miriam Johnson, 31 (right), to death in February last year
Video courtesy of Fox8
Miriam's adoptive mother Cindy told a judge that she had been bullied in middle school and suffered from self-esteem issues, which Bradley exploited.
Cindy told how their on-off relationship was marred with violence, with Cleveland.com reporting that Bradley was convicted of domestic abuse three times.
In one incident in 2017, Miriam was beaten unconscious and woke up to find her clothes wet, with Bradley saying he urinated on her.
A court heard how Bradley orchestrated a 13-year campaign of abuse against Miriam that started when she was a teenager
Relatives suspected that Bradley had begun dating Miriam again early in 2018 after she became reclusive and lost weight.
She was also due to receive her income tax return, with prosecutors noting: 'When Ms. Johnson had money, the defendant was not far away.'
