By Carl Fish | Daily Ridge
The man accused of fatally shooting a Lake Wales teenager last December is asking a Polk County judge to throw out the murder charge, arguing he acted in self-defense and is protected under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.
Attorneys for Miles Edward Brown recently filed a motion seeking immunity from prosecution, asking the court to dismiss the second-degree murder charge stemming from the December 2, 2025, shooting death of Jayvyn McFadden.
The filing is the defense’s version of events, not findings by the court. Prosecutors will have an opportunity to challenge those claims during an upcoming Stand Your Ground hearing.
In the motion, Brown’s attorney says Brown was sitting inside a parked Chevrolet Cruze on a public roadway in a residential Lake Wales neighborhood when McFadden allegedly approached the vehicle while armed with a hammer. The defense argues Brown believed he was in imminent danger and fired in self-defense.
The motion also argues Brown was not engaged in criminal activity at the time and therefore had no legal duty to retreat before using deadly force.
According to the defense, Brown left the scene after the shooting, spoke with family members, and later went to the Lake Wales Police Department on his own. The filing says he waived his Miranda rights and consistently told investigators he acted in self-defense.
The motion also references statements the defense says were made by witness Delvin Todd, McFadden’s cousin. According to the filing, Todd told investigators McFadden wanted to “fight” before the shooting and admitted McFadden had been carrying a hammer. The defense further claims Todd told investigators he moved the hammer away from McFadden’s body after the shooting and notes that detectives recovered a hammer near the scene.
Those assertions come directly from the defense’s motion. They have not been adopted by the court or proven during any hearing, and the State is expected to contest them.
Under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, a defendant can ask a judge to dismiss criminal charges before trial if they believe they were legally justified in using deadly force. If Brown establishes a legally sufficient claim, prosecutors must then show by clear and convincing evidence that he is not entitled to immunity.
Judge Mark F. Carpanini has scheduled a hearing on the motion for August 5, 2026, at 1:15 p.m. at the Polk County Courthouse in Bartow. Court records show three hours have been reserved for the hearing.
Brown remains charged with second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence. If the judge denies the motion, the case will continue toward trial. If the motion is granted, the murder charge could be dismissed before a jury is ever selected.
Daily Ridge previously reported on the shooting and the events leading up to Brown’s arrest. The August hearing is expected to be one of the most significant proceedings in the case to date, as the court weighs whether Brown’s actions were legally justified under Florida law.
