Woman arrested again in connection to St. Jude doctor’s death
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis woman has been arrested for a second time in connection with the murder of a St. Jude doctor.
After being on the run for months, Brandy Rucker, 23, is behind bars for the second time since January. She’s facing first-degree murder and aggravated robbery charges.
Rucker and Marious Ward were arrested for killing Alexander Bulakhov while he was downtown walking with his wife and two-year-old daughter last November.
Police say they intended to rob him, but he tried to protect his family and was fatally shot.
ORIGINAL STORY: St. Jude employee killed in front of wife, 2-year-old during robbery: Police report
Dr. Bulakhov’s wife described the terrifying moments leading up to the shooting back in February.
“(He said) ‘Give me your money,” Anastasiia Bulakhova said. “And that’s it. So, we didn’t hear anything else from him.”
She pointed out Ward as the shooter. “I will remember his eyes forever,” Bulakhova said.
Ward was charged, but all of Rucker’s charges were dropped and she was free to go.
“At the preliminary hearing, the judge found no probable cause to prove she committed the crimes, based on the available evidence and identification at that time, leading to her release,” said the Shelby County District Attorney’s office.
Charges dismissed for one defendant in St. Jude doctor’s death; wife points to Ward as shooter
However, Rucker’s attorney knew it wasn’t over for her client.
“Despite being dismissed, (the case) can still be presented to the grand jury,” Lauren Fuchs said.
And that’s exactly what the Shelby County District Attorney’s office said happened.
In a statement to WREG, the office explained that after the DA’s office presented the case to the grand jury, they determined there was probable cause and a warrant was issued in April.
“After our office presented the case to the grand jury, they determined probable cause existed, resulting in an April 16, 2024 warrant for charges including first-degree murder and aggravated robbery. This warrant remained outstanding until her recent arrest,” the District Attorney’s office said.
Rucker was arrested on Monday and is being held on a $1 million bond.
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