> At a Glance
> – Harrel Braddy, 76, could again be sentenced to death for the 1998 murder of Quantisha “Candy” Maycock, 5
> – A 2017 ruling overturned his prior death sentence because the jury vote was not unanimous
> – A 2023 law now allows capital punishment with an 8-4 jury vote
> – Why it matters: The retest of Florida’s evolving death-penalty rules puts the spotlight on one of the state’s most horrific child-killing cases
Nearly three decades after Quantisha “Candy” Maycock was abandoned beside Alligator Alley and fatally mauled, the man convicted of leaving her there is back in a Miami-Dade courtroom as a new jury weighs execution.
1998 Kidnapping and Murder
On November 6, 1998, Harrel Braddy, then 50, offered Shandelle Maycock a ride home from work and later agreed to pick up her daughter, Quantisha, from a family friend.
When they returned to the apartment, Shandelle asked Braddy to leave. He refused, choked her unconscious, and ultimately stuffed her into the trunk of his car after pulling Quantisha back inside the vehicle when the pair tried to escape.
Braddy drove to a remote section of Interstate 75 in Broward County, heaved Shandelle out, and sped off with the child. Investigators said he left Quantisha beside the highway-known for its alligator population-because he was angry at her mother and feared the girl would reveal the assault.
Three days later, fishermen found the child’s body in a nearby canal. The Broward County medical examiner testified:
- Cause of death: blunt-force trauma to the head; the girl was likely unconscious when alligators bit her torso and head
- Post-mortem, her left arm was severed by a gator
- She had brush-burn injuries consistent with falling from a moving car
Conviction and Sentence Reversal
A jury in 2007 convicted Braddy of:
- First-degree murder
- Attempted first-degree murder
- Two counts of kidnapping
- Multiple lesser counts
The panel voted 11-1 for death, but the Florida Supreme Court struck the sentence in 2017 after the state required unanimous jury votes for capital punishment.
Resentencing Under New Law
A 2023 statute signed by Governor Ron DeSantis lets judges impose death with an 8-4 jury vote, reviving Braddy’s execution prospects.
Jury selection for the new penalty phase is now under way.
Key Takeaways
- Braddy’s resentencing is among the first under Florida’s relaxed death-penalty threshold
- The 76-year-old has prior convictions for attempted murder, robbery, burglary, and kidnapping dating to 1984
- Shandelle survived the attack and testified against him
- Prosecutors are again seeking the death penalty, while defense attorneys will present mitigating evidence
If the jury recommends death by at least 8-4, Braddy could once again find himself on Florida’s death row for the crime that horrified the state 26 years ago.
