Ariz. man allegedly killed his wife with bat and drove around with her body amid 'difficult' divorce

SURPRISE, Ariz. (TCN) -- A 56-year-old man faces charges after allegedly beating his estranged wife to death and driving her body to another location.

On May 14, the Surprise Police Department received a missing persons report for 41-year-old Alison Gregory after she failed to pick up a family member at the airport. Alison Gregory and her husband, Brandon Gregory, lived together but were reportedly "going through a difficult divorce."

Police responded to their home and found "signs that a physical struggle could have taken place." Investigators located Alison Gregory's vehicle in Mohave County with Brandon Gregory inside. According to KTVK-TV, the car was at the Burro Creek Campground, and Brandon Gregory's estranged wife was discovered deceased in the backseat.

Brandon Gregory allegedly told officers that the victim asked him to leave their residence while it was in the process of being sold. The two reportedly got into an argument that turned physical when Gregory's wife kicked him in the genital area while holding a wooden bat.

Gregory allegedly took the bat from his wife and then hit her multiple times. According to KTVK, Gregory claimed he performed CPR on the victim, but she stopped breathing. Court documents reviewed by the news source allege that he wrapped his wife's body with carpet padding and placed her inside the vehicle. Gregory allegedly cleaned up the blood and threw away the victim's cellphone and Apple Watch before driving to the campground and getting rid of the wooden bat in an open field.

While searching the vehicle, KTVK reports that officials found an apology letter to the suspect's kids, "requesting their forgiveness for his actions."

Gregory was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter, tampering with physical evidence, and concealment of a dead body.

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