MARTINEZ A Rodeo man was acquitted of murder but convicted of voluntary manslaughter for killing his half-brother in 2022, an act he testified at trial was done in self-defense. Joseph Gladney, 26, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter with an enhancement for personal use of a firearm in the shooting death of 25-year-old Vinson Bragg, as well as a charge of threatening to kill another half-brother who lived in the family home.
Originally charged with murder, Sean Karp, 20, instead accepted convictions on charges of voluntary manslaughter and assault with a firearm, court records show. In exchange, he was sentenced to 30 years on Aug. 12, and sent to North Kern State Prison six days later. The sentence resulted from a plea agreement between Karp and Contra Costa prosecutors. Karp was 18 at the time of the shooting.