The family court documents, filed during the couple’s contentious divorce proceedings in 2022, paint a striking picture of two parents with sharply different views about raising their youngest son. While Sayer’s mother argued that allowing him to shoot guns posed a serious safety risk because of his autism, his father insisted that supervised target shooting was an appropriate activity that strengthened their relationship and helped his son thrive.
Those disagreements have taken on new significance following the June 22 attack at a public library in Chico, California, where prosecutors allege the now-18-year-old fatally shot two men before being arrested at the scene.
Authorities have charged Bradley Sayer with two counts of murder with special circumstances in connection with the killings of Jacob “Cody” Hull, 46, and Robert Johnson, 74. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of life without the possibility of parole if he is convicted.
According to investigators, Sayer entered the library armed with firearms allegedly taken from his father’s home and carried out what prosecutors have described as a copycat-inspired attack influenced by the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.
The newly surfaced family court records provide a glimpse into disputes that unfolded nearly three years before the shooting.
In a June 13, 2022, letter written by attorney Kimberly Steffenson on behalf of Sayer’s mother, Vicki Sayer, concerns about Bradley’s access to firearms were made explicit.
The letter stated that Vicki considered her son’s participation in shooting activities with his father to be a significant safety issue.
According to the correspondence, she believed Bradley’s autism made the activity inappropriate and argued that his developmental needs required additional caution.
The letter stated that she did not believe it was appropriate for Bradley to be shooting guns and expressed concern that David Sayer failed to appreciate his son’s limitations.
The attorney also referenced forensic psychologist Dr. Eugene Roeder, who had evaluated the family during the custody proceedings.
Vicki requested that the court adopt Dr. Roeder’s recommendations while specifically adding one additional condition—that David should not be permitted to take Bradley target shooting.
She argued that further professional input from the psychologist was necessary before allowing such activities to continue.
The father’s attorney, Randy Bakke, responded the very same day with a sharply worded rebuttal.
His letter argued that firearms had always been present in the family home throughout the marriage and that they had consistently been stored safely.
According to the response, the mother had never previously objected to firearms while the family was living together.
Bakke accused Vicki of attempting to interfere with David’s relationship with his son following the couple’s separation.
The attorney described shooting sports as just one of many supervised father-son activities that had helped strengthen their bond.
Among the activities listed were learning to use a BB gun, progressing to target shooting with a single-shot .22-caliber rifle, skiing, water tubing, golfing, stacking firewood and other outdoor pursuits.
The letter maintained that each activity had been carefully supervised by David and had enriched Bradley’s life.
Bakke further criticized the mother’s characterization of Bradley’s autism, arguing that David chose not to define his son by his diagnosis.
The attorney wrote that David wanted Bradley to have as many opportunities as possible rather than limiting his experiences because he was on the autism spectrum.
In another filing, Bakke summarized the disagreement by noting simply that the parents had “different parenting styles.”
The custody dispute eventually resulted in an agreement reached during a settlement conference on June 22, 2022.
Court records show the parents agreed to share joint legal and physical custody of Bradley, while Vicki received sole authority over educational decisions.
One provision of the agreement specifically stated that Bradley would attend a gun safety course with his father in August 2022.
The documents also required Bradley to participate in individual counseling focused on his social difficulties, isolation, withdrawal tendencies and the impact of his neurodivergent development on his daily functioning.
Those provisions now stand in stark contrast to the allegations prosecutors have outlined following the deadly library shooting.
Authorities allege Sayer had been staying at his father’s residence before the attack and obtained three firearms stored inside a bedroom closet.
According to the Butte County District Attorney’s Office, the weapons included two .22-caliber rifles and a 20-gauge pump-action shotgun.
Investigators allege those firearms became central to the attack that claimed the lives of Hull and Johnson.
District Attorney Michael Ramsey has described the shooting as the result of years of online radicalization centered on mass shooters.
According to Ramsey, Sayer became fascinated with online communities that glorified school shootings roughly four years ago.
The prosecutor said the teenager had become what he described as a longtime admirer of the Columbine attackers and eventually decided to imitate them.
Ramsey told reporters that Sayer allegedly wrote the phrase “Natural Selection” across his shirt in black marker during the attack, mirroring one of the slogans associated with the Columbine gunmen.
Investigators also allege Sayer recorded video before or during the shooting that discussed his intention to kill as many victims as possible.
Authorities say they additionally recovered a journal they described as deeply disturbing.
Prosecutors contend the material demonstrates extensive planning and ideological inspiration drawn from previous mass killings.
During Sayer’s arraignment in Butte County Superior Court, prosecutors also noted that he appeared to make a hand gesture associated with extremist hate groups while appearing before the judge.
No plea was entered during the hearing.
The allegations have left Sayer’s family struggling to reconcile the accusations with the son they believed they knew.
Speaking after his son’s arrest, David Sayer described Bradley as a shy, high-functioning young man on the autism spectrum.
He referred to him as “a delicate little flower” and said he never believed his son was capable of harming anyone.
“He’s never harmed anybody,” David said before acknowledging the painful reality of the allegations.
“I can’t say that anymore,” he added.
The father also expressed sympathy for the victims’ families, saying he felt terrible for those who lost loved ones in the shooting.
Meanwhile, investigators continue examining Sayer’s online activity, writings and electronic devices as they build their prosecution.
Authorities believe those materials will help establish how the teenager allegedly evolved from an isolated high school student into someone accused of carrying out a carefully planned attack inspired by one of America’s most infamous school shootings.
As the criminal case moves forward, the newly disclosed custody records have added another layer to an already complex investigation.
The documents do not suggest that either parent anticipated such a tragedy. Instead, they reveal two very different philosophies about parenting an autistic teenager—one emphasizing caution around firearms, the other believing supervised shooting sports offered valuable opportunities for growth.
Whether those disagreements ultimately have any legal relevance to the criminal prosecution remains unclear.
What is certain is that prosecutors now allege Bradley Sayer carried out an attack that forever changed multiple families, while court records show that concerns about his access to firearms had been raised years before the deadly violence unfolded inside the Chico library.
