Camilla Jessen
Decades later, jury weighs execution in child’s death.
A crime that shocked Florida more than two decades ago has returned to court. The case centers on a child’s brutal death and a legal system now operating under different rules.
Jurors must once again decide how the story should end.
Harrel Braddy, now 76, was convicted in 2007 for crimes linked to the 1998 kidnapping of Shandelle Maycock and her 5-year-old daughter, Quantisha “Candy” Maycock, according to Florida Supreme Court records reviewed by PEOPLE.
Braddy was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and other charges.
A Miami-Dade jury originally sentenced him to death by an 11–1 vote, but that sentence was overturned in 2017 after Florida ruled that death sentences require unanimous jury verdicts.
Why the case returned
The case is now back before a jury after a 2023 Florida law changed the rules again. Under the law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, juries can impose the death penalty with an 8–4 vote, the Miami Herald reported.
That shift reopened Braddy’s sentencing phase, allowing prosecutors to again seek execution without unanimity.
What happened in 1998
Court records state that on Nov. 6, 1998, Braddy drove Shandelle Maycock home from work and later offered to help pick up her daughter.
When Shandelle asked him to leave her apartment, he attacked her, choking her unconscious multiple times.
She testified that she later woke up in the backseat of a car with Quantisha in the front and Braddy driving. After she tried to escape, Braddy allegedly forced her into the trunk and drove for up to 45 minutes before abandoning her in a remote area.
Authorities said Braddy then left Quantisha alone along Interstate 75 in a stretch known as Alligator Alley.
Child’s death
Three days later, fishermen found Quantisha’s body floating in a canal.
A medical examiner testified she had suffered blunt force trauma to the head and multiple alligator bites while alive but likely unconscious.
Investigators said Braddy admitted leaving the child because he feared she would report him and believed her mother was dead.
Court documents describe Braddy as having a criminal history dating back to 1984, including convictions for attempted murder, robbery, burglary and kidnapping.
Sources: PEOPLE, Florida Supreme Court records, Miami Herald
