A 23-year-old Tennessee woman who allegedly served as the getaway driver for her boyfriend, who is accused of murdering a St. Jude Children’s Hospital employee during an armed robbery, is back behind bars seven months after a judge dismissed the charges against her.
Court records show Brandy A. Rucker was booked into the Shelby County Jail on Monday for first-degree murder, especially aggravated robbery and aggravated assault. Memphis police said Rucker and 24-year-old Marious Antwan Ward were allegedly driving around looking for people to rob in November 2023 when they came upon Alexander Bulakhov, his wife and their 2-year-old child who were on a walk.
After shooting Bulakhov, Ward ran back to Rucker’s car and she drove away from the scene, police said. Cops arrested Rucker and Ward a few days after the incident on murder and robbery charges. But Shelby County General Sessions Court Judge Sheila B. Renfroe in January dismissed the charges for a lack of probable cause “because law enforcement was unable to identify” Rucker, said Erica R. Williams, director of communications and public affairs for the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.
Williams explained that prosecutors were expediting the case to a grand jury so they could indict Rucker in criminal court. They did just that, indicting her in April which ultimately led to Monday’s arrest. She is in jail on a $1 million bond.
A grand jury also indicted Ward for first-degree murder, especially aggravated robbery and aggravated assault after charges were bound over from General Sessions to criminal court. He has been in jail ever since his arrest but Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy in June ripped a judge’s decision on Ward’s bond.
“This is a violent gun crime against an innocent person with overwhelming proof. Our Office argued to the Court that the Defendant is a danger to the community, that the facts of the case are egregious, that the likelihood of conviction is exceptionally high, and that expected punishment equals or exceeds a life sentence. The Court rejected these arguments and set bail at $275,000,” Mulroy wrote. “As argued in Court, we believe this bond amount is insufficient and does not appropriately weigh the severity of the crime, the likelihood of conviction, and the danger to the community.”
As previously reported by Law&Crime, officers with the Memphis Police Department at about 7:54 p.m. on Nov. 12 responded to an emergency call regarding a robbery with shots fired in the area of 495 Tennessee Street. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders found an adult male — later identified as Bulakhov — suffering from what appeared to be a gunshot wound.
The victim was transported to Regional One Health in critical condition but later succumbed to his wounds.
Bulakhov’s wife told investigators that they had been walking in the area with their 2-year-old child when a man wearing a black hoodie and a ski mask approached them brandishing a handgun and demanding their property. The victim gave the man his wallet.
“The male then pointed the firearm directly at [Bulakhov’s wife] and demanded more property,” police wrote in the affidavit. “At this time Alexander Bulakhov, in an attempt to defend his wife, struggled with the male over the firearm. During the struggle, Alexander Bulakhov was shot. A 9mm caliber spent shell casing was recovered from the scene.”
Police obtained surveillance footage from the area showing the male suspect exiting a white 2013 Toyota Camry — with a “specific damage profile” from the passenger side — and walking toward the victim and his family before shooting the victim. The Camry had a missing rear bumper and a severely dented passenger side door, and one of the rear windows was broken out and covered with plastic and tape.
“Several surveillance cameras in the area captured the suspect’s Toyota Camry circling the area, making an erratic U-turn, appearing to be casing for potential victims in the minutes before the murder,” police wrote.
Police on Nov. 13 located a Camry matching the specific damage profile of the vehicle in the surveillance footage in the parking lot of the Whitney Manor Apartments located in the 1500 block of Whitney Avenue. Police watched Rucker and Ward get into the Camry and drive out of the parking lot before conducting a traffic stop. Ward was found to have a 9 mm handgun in his waistband and the two were taken to the station for questioning.
“Rucker admitted to being the driver of the Toyota Camry, watch[ing] Ward exit the Camry with a handgun in his hand and walk[ing] toward the area of 495 Tennessee St. before hurrying back to the vehicle and advising her to flee the area,” the affidavit states. “Ward confessed to being the gunman responsible for the murder of Alexander Bulakhov. Ward further advised that the 9mm handgun found in his possession was the same weapon used during the murder.”
A LinkedIn profile believed to be Bulakhov’s stated that he was a postdoctoral researcher at St. Jude’s.
Jerry Lambe contributed to this report
