A woman from Memphis has been taken into custody for the second time in relation to the killing of a doctor from St. Jude.
Court documents show that Shelby County Jail booked Brandy Rucker on Monday, August 19. They charged her with first-degree murder, specifically aggravated robbery, attempted aggravated robbery, and aggravated assault. However, it is not the first time she has faced such charges.
Rucker was arrested and charged with those offenses shortly after St. Jude doctor Alexander Bulakhov, 32, was shot and died in downtown Memphis in November 2023. However, a court dismissed those accusations many months later. The court then indicted Rucker on the counts in April, four months prior to his apprehending and placement in Shelby County Jail. They also accused Marious Ward of Bulakhov’s murder.
According to court records, the doctor was robbed and shot on November 12, 2023, while defending his wife and daughter. His wife informed authorities that the incident occurred while the couple was walking down Tennessee Street with their two-year-old daughter. According to the police, Bulakhov originally handed over his wallet when the shooter approached, but a scuffle occurred when the thief demanded more items from the doctor’s wife. As the two men battled over the gun, it went off. The hospital brought Bulakhov, but he did not survive.
