He Kidnapped a 5-Year-Old and Let Her Be Eaten Alive by Alligators — and Now Jury Considers His Fate By Nicole Acosta

A Florida man convicted in a decades-old case in which a 5-year-old girl was left to be eaten alive by alligators is again facing a possible death sentence.

Harrel Braddy, now 76, was found guilty in 2007 of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and other counts in connection with the 1998 death of Quantisha “Candy” Maycock and the kidnapping of her mother, Shandelle Maycock, per Florida Supreme Court records viewed by PEOPLE.

By an 11-1 vote, a Miami-Dade County jury originally sentenced him to death, but that sentence was overturned in 2017 after a new state law ruled it unconstitutional for a death sentence to be imposed without a unanimous jury verdict, according to the court records.

Now, Braddy’s case is back in court, with a jury once again weighing whether he should be executed. The Miami Herald reported this week that under a 2023 law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a jury can impose the death penalty with an 8-4 vote, meaning Braddy could still be sentenced to death without a unanimous verdict.

On Nov. 6, 1998, Braddy drove Shandelle, a woman he had befriended through a mutual church friend, home from work. He later agreed to take Shandelle to pick up her 5-year-old daughter, Quantisha, who was staying with a family friend, per the court documents.

When they got back home, Shandelle asked Braddy to leave, telling him she was expecting company— a claim she later said was a ruse to get him to go — but he refused, insisting on having a conversation.

“Upon being told to leave, Braddy immediately attacked Shandelle, threatening to kill her and choking her until she lost consciousness,” the documents state. “Shandelle testified that when she regained consciousness, she was still in her apartment but Braddy again choked her until she passed out.”

Shandelle testified that she woke up a second time in the backseat of a car in her driveway, with Quantisha in the front and Braddy driving. She told Quantisha they were going to jump out, but Braddy warned her not to. When she opened the door, he accelerated around a corner, causing both her and Quantisha to fall out, per the court documents.

Braddy stopped the car, got Quantisha back inside, and put Shandelle in the trunk, before driving for 30 to 45 minutes. He then pulled the mother out, threw her to the ground, and choked her while threatening to kill her, the court documents state. When she regained consciousness, she was in a remote area and flagged down passing motorists, who called the police.

Authorities said Braddy then abandoned the girl on the side of Interstate 75 in Broward County, in a stretch known as Alligator Alley. The court documents state Braddy told investigators he left Quantisha there “because he was angry with Shandelle and because he was worried that Quantisha would tell people what he had done to Shandelle.” He also believed he had left Shandelle for dead, but she survived.

Three days later, two fishermen found a girl’s body floating in a canal in the area. She was confirmed to be Quantisha.

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The Broward County chief medical examiner testified that her left arm had been bitten off by an alligator after she died. He said she had “brush burn” injuries consistent with sliding on a hard surface, likely from falling out of a car, and had suffered multiple alligator bites to her torso and head, while she was alive but likely unconscious. He concluded her death was primarily caused by blunt force trauma to the left side of her head, per the court documents.

Shandelle testified that she initially saw Braddy as “nice” and occasionally asked him for favors, the 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 that fateful day.

Authorities said Braddy had a lengthy criminal history dating back to 1984, including convictions for attempted murder, burglary, robbery and kidnapping, the court documents state.