For-Profit College Owner Killed in Attack

Florida prosecutors have charged a Daytona College contractor with second-degree murder and five other felonies after he allegedly killed owner Roger Bradley and attacked his wife, Nancy Bradley.

Authorities allege Michael Hightower attacked the couple, both in their 70s, after Nancy Bradley called police to report a possible trespasser. Hightower—who admitted to police that he had been stealing from the college—allegedly struck her with his vehicle while she was on the phone with 911. Hightower then allegedly attacked Roger Bradley as he checked on his wife, according to court records.

Roger Bradley died 10 days after the attack; his wife reportedly remains in critical condition.

Hightower was employed by a cleaning company and assigned to the college but had not clocked in for work that day, as required when being on-site, court documents show. 

Charging documents indicate that Nancy Bradley called the police over trespassing, though Hightower believed it was due to theft. Police arrested Hightower near the college shortly afterward. Hightower has also been charged with attempted murder for shooting a police officer with his own gun while in a hospital receiving treatment after being tased during his arrest.

Court documents show that Hightower expressed regret about the attacks in his interview with the police and told them “he would like to offer his apologies to the courts and both victims.” Hightower also allegedly told police that he wanted them to kill him, “as he was not satisfied with certain events in his own life” and had been dealing with family issues from his childhood. Hightower was already facing an unrelated felony hit-and-run charge before the attack and was out on bond. He allegedly said that he believed Nancy Bradley calling the police would “add to his troubles.” 

Charging documents state he “sought sympathy and understanding” in his police interview.

The Bradleys have owned the small, for-profit college in Ormond Beach, Fla., since 2003. Daytona College—not to be confused with the much larger Daytona State College—primarily offers associate degrees and certificate programs with an emphasis on nursing, massage and other health-related programs. Federal data shows Daytona enrolled 191 students in fall 2024.

The college was originally founded as the Daytona Institute of Massage Therapy in 1996 and was renamed in 2006. Daytona College celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier this year. Under the Bradleys, the college expanded academic offerings with a focus on health-care programs. 

Roger Bradley was a U.S. Army veteran and “owned and operated multiple trade schools” with his wife, according to his obituary. Florida business records show the couple previously owned Central Florida College, North Florida Institute and the Career Training Institute, which they sold to another for-profit college operator in or around 2007 after they purchased Daytona College.

Beyond her role as CEO of Daytona College, Nancy Bradley served multiple terms on the board of Florida’s Commission for Independent Education from 2003 to 2018, including a stint as chair from 2013 through 2014. The state body is responsible for overseeing private colleges and universities in Florida. She also served as president of the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges from 1999 to 2000.

Daytona College has not yet issued a public statement on the attack.