Topline: Jurors heard opening statements in a resentencing trial for the 1998 kidnapping and death of a girl left in the Everglades.
Published: January 28, 2026 8:50 am ET
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Left: Harrel Franklin Braddy, Right: Shandelle and Quantisha Maycock (via Miami-Dade Corrections; NBC6)
MIAMI, FL — A new penalty phase trial began for a Florida man convicted of kidnapping a child and leaving her to be killed by alligators in the Florida Everglades in 1998.
Harrel Franklin Braddy, 76, faces the possibility of returning to death row for the murder of 5-year-old Quantisha “Candy” Maycock. By an 11-1 vote, a Miami-Dade County jury originally sentenced him to death in 2007.
Aa per court records, that sentence was overturned in 2017 after a Florida law ruled it unconstitutional for a death sentence to be imposed without a unanimous jury verdict.
Braddy’s case is now back in court with a jury once again weighing whether he should be executed, as reported by the Miami Herald.
A 2023 law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis allows a jury to recommend the death penalty with an 8-4 vote. This means Braddy could be sentenced to death without a unanimous verdict.
State Attorney Abbe Rifkin told jurors during opening statements that the young victim suffered horrific injuries. “Deep into her skull, teeth marks, where an alligator tried to bite her head,” Rifkin said, as reported by the Miami Herald.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, the incident began Nov. 6, 1998, when Braddy drove 22-year-old Shandelle Maycock home from work. Braddy befriended the woman through a mutual church friend and agreed to help her pick up Quantisha from a family friend’s home.
Shandelle testified that she initially saw Braddy as “nice” and occasionally asked him for favors, court documents state. He once made a sexual advance, but after she threatened him with a knife, he left and later apologized. She said he never made another advance before the day of the attack.
Once they returned to the apartment that evening, Shandelle asked Braddy to leave. She later testified she told him she was expecting company as a ruse to get him to go, but Braddy refused and insisted on talking.
Court documents state that Braddy then attacked the woman, threatening to kill her and choking her until she lost consciousness. When she regained consciousness, Braddy choked her again until she passed out a second time.
According to a Florida Supreme Court brief. Braddy then forced both the mother and the daughter, who was in her pajamas, into a vehicle. When the mother tried to escape with her daughter by opening the car door, Braddy increased his speed. Both were thrown from the moving vehicle onto the road.
As the two lay injured, Braddy stopped the car and told the mother he would drive them home. Instead, he placed the child on the seat and shoved the mother in the trunk.
The mother remained in the trunk for 45 minutes as Braddy drove to an isolated dirt road. Braddy then pulled her from the vehicle and beat her again. He told her he should kill her before choking her to the point of unconsciousness.
According to court records, the 5-year-old was thrown onto a rock-lined canal bank along a stretch of Interstate 75 in Broward County known as Alligator Alley. Braddy told investigators he abandoned the child there “because he was angry with Shandelle and because he was worried that Quantisha would tell people what he had done to Shandelle.”
While Braddy admitted he believed he had left the mother for dead, she survived the brutal assault. After regaining consciousness the following morning, she managed to flag down a passing motorist and alerted police that her daughter had been taken.
On Nov. 9, 1998, fishermen discovered the body of a young girl in the canal. The girl was missing an arm and covered in bite marks from fish and alligators, the brief states.
Jurors were shown photos of Quantisha’s body in Polly Pocket pajamas and missing an arm. She also suffered bite marks on her head and stomach consistent with an alligator attack, as per the Orlando Sentinel.
Records from the Florida Department of Corrections show Braddy was released from prison one year before the murder. He had served 12 years of a 30-year sentence for attemptedmurder, robbery, and kidnapping.
The trial continues this week in Miami-Dade County. If at least eight jurors recommend the death penalty, the final decision will rest with the presiding judge.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Florida Felon Faces Death Row Again for ‘Alligator Alley’ Child Murder
Jurors heard opening statements in a resentencing trial for the 1998 kidnapping and death of a girl left in the Everglades.
By Kate Byrd
Published: January 28, 2026 8:50 am ET
Left: Harrel Franklin Braddy, Right: Shandelle and Quantisha Maycock (via Miami-Dade Corrections; NBC6)
MIAMI, FL — A new penalty phase trial began for a Florida man convicted of kidnapping a child and leaving her to be killed by alligators in the Florida Everglades in 1998.
Harrel Franklin Braddy, 76, faces the possibility of returning to death row for the murder of 5-year-old Quantisha “Candy” Maycock. By an 11-1 vote, a Miami-Dade County jury originally sentenced him to death in 2007.
Aa per court records, that sentence was overturned in 2017 after a Florida law ruled it unconstitutional for a death sentence to be imposed without a unanimous jury verdict.
Braddy’s case is now back in court with a jury once again weighing whether he should be executed, as reported by the Miami Herald.
A 2023 law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis allows a jury to recommend the death penalty with an 8-4 vote. This means Braddy could be sentenced to death without a unanimous verdict.
State Attorney Abbe Rifkin told jurors during opening statements that the young victim suffered horrific injuries. “Deep into her skull, teeth marks, where an alligator tried to bite her head,” Rifkin said, as reported by the Miami Herald.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, the incident began Nov. 6, 1998, when Braddy drove 22-year-old Shandelle Maycock home from work. Braddy befriended the woman through a mutual church friend and agreed to help her pick up Quantisha from a family friend’s home.
Shandelle testified that she initially saw Braddy as “nice” and occasionally asked him for favors, court documents state. He once made a sexual advance, but after she threatened him with a knife, he left and later apologized. She said he never made another advance before the day of the attack.
Once they returned to the apartment that evening, Shandelle asked Braddy to leave. She later testified she told him she was expecting company as a ruse to get him to go, but Braddy refused and insisted on talking.
Court documents state that Braddy then attacked the woman, threatening to kill her and choking her until she lost consciousness. When she regained consciousness, Braddy choked her again until she passed out a second time.
According to a Florida Supreme Court brief. Braddy then forced both the mother and the daughter, who was in her pajamas, into a vehicle. When the mother tried to escape with her daughter by opening the car door, Braddy increased his speed. Both were thrown from the moving vehicle onto the road.
As the two lay injured, Braddy stopped the car and told the mother he would drive them home. Instead, he placed the child on the seat and shoved the mother in the trunk.
The mother remained in the trunk for 45 minutes as Braddy drove to an isolated dirt road. Braddy then pulled her from the vehicle and beat her again. He told her he should kill her before choking her to the point of unconsciousness.
According to court records, the 5-year-old was thrown onto a rock-lined canal bank along a stretch of Interstate 75 in Broward County known as Alligator Alley. Braddy told investigators he abandoned the child there “because he was angry with Shandelle and because he was worried that Quantisha would tell people what he had done to Shandelle.”
While Braddy admitted he believed he had left the mother for dead, she survived the brutal assault. After regaining consciousness the following morning, she managed to flag down a passing motorist and alerted police that her daughter had been taken.
On Nov. 9, 1998, fishermen discovered the body of a young girl in the canal. The girl was missing an arm and covered in bite marks from fish and alligators, the brief states.
Jurors were shown photos of Quantisha’s body in Polly Pocket pajamas and missing an arm. She also suffered bite marks on her head and stomach consistent with an alligator attack, as per the Orlando Sentinel.
Records from the Florida Department of Corrections show Braddy was released from prison one year before the murder. He had served 12 years of a 30-year sentence for attemptedmurder, robbery, and kidnapping.
The trial continues this week in Miami-Dade County. If at least eight jurors recommend the death penalty, the final decision will rest with the presiding judge.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Florida Felon Faces Death Row Again for ‘Alligator Alley’ Child Murder
Jurors heard opening statements in a resentencing trial for the 1998 kidnapping and death of a girl left in the Everglades.
By Kate Byrd
Published: January 28, 2026 8:50 am ET
Left: Harrel Franklin Braddy, Right: Shandelle and Quantisha Maycock (via Miami-Dade Corrections; NBC6)
MIAMI, FL — A new penalty phase trial began for a Florida man convicted of kidnapping a child and leaving her to be killed by alligators in the Florida Everglades in 1998.
Harrel Franklin Braddy, 76, faces the possibility of returning to death row for the murder of 5-year-old Quantisha “Candy” Maycock. By an 11-1 vote, a Miami-Dade County jury originally sentenced him to death in 2007.
Aa per court records, that sentence was overturned in 2017 after a Florida law ruled it unconstitutional for a death sentence to be imposed without a unanimous jury verdict.
Braddy’s case is now back in court with a jury once again weighing whether he should be executed, as reported by the Miami Herald.
A 2023 law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis allows a jury to recommend the death penalty with an 8-4 vote. This means Braddy could be sentenced to death without a unanimous verdict.
State Attorney Abbe Rifkin told jurors during opening statements that the young victim suffered horrific injuries. “Deep into her skull, teeth marks, where an alligator tried to bite her head,” Rifkin said, as reported by the Miami Herald.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, the incident began Nov. 6, 1998, when Braddy drove 22-year-old Shandelle Maycock home from work. Braddy befriended the woman through a mutual church friend and agreed to help her pick up Quantisha from a family friend’s home.
Shandelle testified that she initially saw Braddy as “nice” and occasionally asked him for favors, court documents state. He once made a sexual advance, but after she threatened him with a knife, he left and later apologized. She said he never made another advance before the day of the attack.
Once they returned to the apartment that evening, Shandelle asked Braddy to leave. She later testified she told him she was expecting company as a ruse to get him to go, but Braddy refused and insisted on talking.
Court documents state that Braddy then attacked the woman, threatening to kill her and choking her until she lost consciousness. When she regained consciousness, Braddy choked her again until she passed out a second time.
According to a Florida Supreme Court brief. Braddy then forced both the mother and the daughter, who was in her pajamas, into a vehicle. When the mother tried to escape with her daughter by opening the car door, Braddy increased his speed. Both were thrown from the moving vehicle onto the road.
As the two lay injured, Braddy stopped the car and told the mother he would drive them home. Instead, he placed the child on the seat and shoved the mother in the trunk.
The mother remained in the trunk for 45 minutes as Braddy drove to an isolated dirt road. Braddy then pulled her from the vehicle and beat her again. He told her he should kill her before choking her to the point of unconsciousness.
According to court records, the 5-year-old was thrown onto a rock-lined canal bank along a stretch of Interstate 75 in Broward County known as Alligator Alley. Braddy told investigators he abandoned the child there “because he was angry with Shandelle and because he was worried that Quantisha would tell people what he had done to Shandelle.”
While Braddy admitted he believed he had left the mother for dead, she survived the brutal assault. After regaining consciousness the following morning, she managed to flag down a passing motorist and alerted police that her daughter had been taken.
On Nov. 9, 1998, fishermen discovered the body of a young girl in the canal. The girl was missing an arm and covered in bite marks from fish and alligators, the brief states.
Jurors were shown photos of Quantisha’s body in Polly Pocket pajamas and missing an arm. She also suffered bite marks on her head and stomach consistent with an alligator attack, as per the Orlando Sentinel.
Records from the Florida Department of Corrections show Braddy was released from prison one year before the murder. He had served 12 years of a 30-year sentence for attemptedmurder, robbery, and kidnapping.
The trial continues this week in Miami-Dade County. If at least eight jurors recommend the death penalty, the final decision will rest with the presiding judge.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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