Torrance Woman Slain; Estranged Husband Sought

Torrance police on Saturday were looking for the estranged husband of a woman who had been shot to death in her home. The shooting reportedly took place on Friday--one day after the man was served with divorce papers.

The body of Barbara Joan Bradford, 52, was discovered in her home at 5426 Sharynne Lane, in the Walteria neighborhood of Torrance, about 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Lt. Noel Cobbs said. She had been shot in the head and body, he said.

Cobbs said that neighbors heard shots on Friday between 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., but no one called the police until her children arrived at the home and discovered the body behind a piano.

Detectives are looking for William Bradford, 53, who lives in the Redondo Beach area, for questioning in the woman’s death, said Cobbs.

Investigators learned Barbara Joan Bradford had served her husband with divorce papers on Thursday. Cobbs added that Mrs. Bradford’s divorce attorney told police that the man had become “very, very upset over the legal proceedings.”