Alan Michael Rangel
Leonardtown, MD — Alan Rangel will be facing a St. Mary’s County Circuit Court jury trial in two weeks for first-degree murder. Rangel and his attorneys appeared before Judge David Densford Jan. 12 for several preliminary motions for the trial that is scheduled for three days beginning Jan. 26. Rangel, is charged with the shooting death of Cody Lacey, 21, at a party in Mechanicsville July 25 of last year.
Rangel will be represented at the trial by public defender Matthew Connell, assisted by co-counsel Ryan Posey from his office. The case will be tried for the state by St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney Richard Fritz with Assistant State’s Attorney Buffy Giddens by his side.
At the motions hearing, Fritz revealed that two persons charged with being accessories after the fact to the alleged murder have been granted immunity from prosecution and will testify during the trial. Judge Densford suggested that the attorneys for Demetrius Jose Burks-Jeffrey and Amanda Hartmann be present in court at the time that their clients are testifying at the trial.
Fritz told The Bay Net that Wade Joshua Braithwaite, 22 of Leonardtown would not be granted immunity and will not be called to testify. Braithwaite entered a guilty plea Dec. 14 of last year to possession of firearms with a felony conviction. Braithwaite and Burks-Jeffrey were arrested July 25, 2015 after execution of a search and seizure warrant at a residence in Lexington Park where a weapon was recovered.
Police allege that Rangel fired a shot at a crowd standing on a balcony of the residence where the party was being held, hitting Lacey, who was apparently an innocent bystander.
Rangel was arrested in Jessup two days after the shooting. The charging documents allege that Rangel admitted to one witness that “he fired off some shots in the air and some shots that went somewhere else at the residence.”
At the motion hearing the attorneys for both sides agreed to present additional motions and stipulations to the judge at a Jan. 22 hearing that could lead to eliminating the need for some witnesses. Fritz said he expected to call three police officers, two expert witnesses, and about 10 others, including Burks-Jeffrey and Hartman
Judge Densford said that because of the large number of juror challenges allowed to both sides during a first-degree murder trial, he will gather 100 potential jurors on the opening day of trial. Fritz asked that the instructions to the jury once they are empaneled include the doctrine of “transferred intent,” which Connell agreed to.
According to Barron’s Dictionary of Legal Terms, transferred intent is “a doctrine in tort and criminal law that provides that if a defendant intends harm to A but harms B instead, the intent is said to be transferred to the harm befalling the actual victim as far as defendant’s liability to B is concerned.” The dictionary says the doctrine is most often applied in homicide cases.
Contact Dick Myers at dick.myers@thebaynbet.com