On May 25, 1997, Bridgers murdered a 53-year-old woman. Bridgers had been living with the victim and took a .38-caliber revolver and fatally shot her in the throat.
The following is a summary of the facts of the crime released by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

On May 23, 1997, Allen Bridgers killed Mary Amie at her home in Tyler. Bridgers had been living with Amie.

Amie had borrowed about $1,600 from a bank to build a fence, and she kept that money inside her purse.

Amie also owned about $2,000 to $3,000 worth of jewelry that she also kept inside of her pocketbook. Bridgers confessed that he killed Amie for the money and jewelry. Bridgers said he shot Amie after she got into bed with him, then grabbed her purse and the keys to her Lincoln Town Car and ran out the front door. Amie’s body was discovered on May 25 by a niece.

Five days after Amie was murdered, police in Fort Lauderdale, Florida took Bridgers into custody on a Texas arrest warrant. Bridgers gave police a taped statement.

Prior Criminal History

Bridgers was previously convicted in federal court of reckless driving, attempting to evade police officers, and carrying a concealed weapon. Further, Bridgers has prior convictions in the State of Georgia for burglary and credit card fraud.