A man and woman charged with murdering a Brevard County deputy were denied bond during a hearing Wednesday.
Deputy Barbara Pill was shot and killed Tuesday after pulling over a couple suspected of stealing from a hotel.
Now, Brandon Bradley and Andria Kerchner have been charged with multiple counts, including first-degree murder.
Pursuing the death penalty
Bradley, 22, and Kerchner, 19, made their first appearance in court, surrounded by sheriff's deputies. Bradley didn't say much, but despite the judge's advice on only talking to a lawyer, Kerchner spoke up.
"I didn't shoot the guy, nor did I hop out of the car," Kerchner said.
Both suspects were assigned public defenders and denied bond.
Prosecutors say with this being the murder of a law enforcement officer and the fact they allegedly tried to get away, Bradley will likely face the death penalty.
"The law supports pursuing the death penalty against Mr. Bradley in the fact it supports at least three, possibly four aggravating circumstances," said prosecutor Gary Beatty.
Bradley's lengthy criminal past
Bradley, 22, has been in trouble with the law since 2007.
"He does have a lengthy criminal record and he is a violent individual,” Melbourne Police Sgt. Trevor Shaffer said.
Police have had several encounters with him including robbery, assault, running from police, weapons and several drug charges.
In September, he was arrested for drug charges, resisting arrest and illegally having a gun in Melbourne.
Police reports indicate used his brother's identification.
"They look very similar,” Shaffer said. “I personally examined the photographs compared to Mr. Bradley and the photographs do in fact match.”
He was booked into the jail and then released on bond the next day.
"He failed to appear on the court date, thinking he was in the free and clear because he didn’t suspect that we knew who he were,” Shaffer said.
Melbourne police said they figured out who he was and a warrant was issued for his arrest, but by this time he was out on the streets.
Law enforcement met up with him Tuesday after he allegedly tried to flee the shooting in an SUV.
"A quick response from surrounding officers and help from the public led to his eventual arrest," Shaffer said. “Based on good police work and citizens getting involved an alerting those officers that were immediately on-scene. ‘Hey, this is what the folks were driving. This is what you need to look for.' That was a key role.”
Sheriff: Suspects acted as a team
Investigators said both Bradley and Kerchner had a criminal history before Tuesday's deadly shooting, each with warrants out for their arrests involving drugs.
The two were questioned for hours Tuesday before finally being hauled off to the Brevard County Jail.
Kerchner, 19, was the first to walk out of the Sheriff's Office. At first, she said she was sorry, but then cursed at officers.
Bradley, 22, also apologized, but would not say why he shot Deputy Pill.
The two suspects are scheduled to make their first court appearances starting at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday.
Investigators said it all started Tuesday morning with a call about stolen items from a motel. "Minor items," according to Brevard County Sheriff Jack Parker.
Deputy Pill spotted the couple's Ford Explorer and pulled over the suspects.
Other deputies on duty said they heard Pill on their radios asking Bradley to step out of the vehicle.
The next thing theyheard were gunshots.
"He opened fire on her, striking her multiple times and killing her," Sheriff Parker said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
Bradley's charges include first-degree premeditated murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and robbery with a deadly weapon, plus failure to appear warrants for several other charges, including the sale and possession of cocaine.
Kerchner was charged with first-degree felony murder, robbery with a deadly weapon and a warrant for the sale of a controlled substance.
Growing memorial for Deputy Pill
Neighbors and other members of the community in Melbourne and beyond have left flowers and messages at the corner of John Rodes Boulevard and Silver Heron Drive, where Deputy Pill's career came to a violent end Tuesday.
The makeshift memorial has given friends and strangers alike one more outlet to grieve, each with their own reasons why they want to stop by to pay their respects.
Pill spent more than 30 years in law enforcement. It was a career the rest of her family saw and gravitated to as well. Two of her sons are also in law enforcement, and her daughter-in-law processes crime scenes.
Though they all know the danger of the job, and especially the danger of a routine traffic stop, it's doubtful that knowledge dulls the pain Pills family must now feel -- and the pain the entire community shares.
"With it being so close to us, it's just our way of saying 'Thank you,' and we are thinking about her and her family, and the Brevard County Sheriff's Department," said T.J. Cardile, who lives near the site where Pill was shot.
Fellow deputies said Pill often volunteered with a number of community youth programs, and worked to help steer at-risk kids in the right direction.
This stop sign is where Pill's memorial has been set up and for her granddaughter it symbolizes the end of the road for memories and where they will stop after only being introduced to her for a year.
State Attorney statement
"Personally and on behalf of every one of my co-workers at the State Attorney's Office we offer our heartfelt condolences to the family of Brevard Deputy Sheriff Barbara Pill and to the staff of the Brevard Sheriff's Office. The people of Brevard have lost one of their finest protectors and we mourn that loss," said State Attorney Norm Wolfinger on Wednesday. "My office is working with investigators to vigorously pursue justice for this crime. Based upon the information already received, I will be instructing the assigned prosecutors to pursue the death penalty against Brandon Brantley.