The family of a 31-year-old man allegedly beaten to death by his Riverside housemate remembered the victim Thursday as a person with a “heart of gold,” whose sudden loss has been deeply felt, leaving both emotional and financial strains.
“Bradley Minder was the gentlest soul to ever walk this earth,” according to a family statement. “He was a kind friend and deeply loyal son, brother and uncle. His family meant more to him than anything in the world.”
Minder was killed on Oct. 15, allegedly by 48-year-old Richard Thomas Martinez.
The defendant is charged with murder and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony. He is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail and is slated for arraignment on Nov. 4 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
According to Riverside police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback, on the night of Oct. 17, officers received reports from an unidentified concerned party that Minder had not been seen in days, and the victim’s housemate, Martinez, “had made statements claiming he killed” the man.
Officers went to the men’s shared residence in the 8700 block of Sylvan Drive, near Lake Street, where a “search of the property revealed a possible crime scene in the backyard,” Railsback said.
He said homicide detectives were summoned to the location, as well as Riverside County sheriff’s cadaver dogs.
“The dogs alerted to freshly disturbed soil in the backyard,” the police spokesman said. “As detectives began digging the area, they found human remains.”
The body recovered from the makeshift grave was confirmed to be that of Minder.
The initial investigation revealed there had been an unspecified altercation between the victim and Martinez, during which the latter armed himself with a shovel and beat the victim to death, Railsback and court papers alleged.
The defendant, who has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County, was taken into custody without incident.
“Bradley forgave easily and treated everyone with pure, unadulterated love, and he was a natural protector with a heart of gold,” his family stated. “The fervor with which he loved his people surmounted a hundred men. His light shines in every photo and memory, and his soul will forever live on in the hearts of his innumerable friends and loved ones.”
Friends of the victim’s family established a GoFundMe account, noting that “with such short notice of Bradley’s passing, his mother, sisters, nieces and nephew are in Kansas, having to travel to California.” They were said to be struggling with both transportation and funeral expenses.
The GoFundMe campaign has raised $4,655 to date, approaching the goal of $5,000. Donations can be made at www.gofundme.com/f/help-bradley-minders-family-honor-him?lang=en_US&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_content=amp8_c&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link .