Accused Mike Ledford Killer Back in Court – With New Attorney

In Brief:

The trial of Dylan Deschaine, charged with the murder of Mike Ledford, has been delayed until August 14 at the request of his attorney for additional witness depositions.
Deschaine’s trial has already been postponed previously for a psychological evaluation; he remains in custody at Okaloosa County Jail.
Another set of murder cases in Niceville from 2022, involving defendants Isaiah Lamar Luna, Brenden J. Carson, and Kaland Karon Jones, is set for a court date on July 8.

The trial of the man who allegedly killed a local restrained in February was delayed an additional two months – thanks to a request by his attorney.

Dylan Deschaine currently sits in the Okaloosa County Jail awaiting trial for the death of Mike Ledford.

Deschaine walked into Judge Terry Ketchel’s courtroom in shackles, which chimed as he walked to the dais. His new attorney, Michael Weinstock of Niceville, asked for the continuance so that he could take more depositions of witnesses before the trial could move forward. Deschaine was represented in his last hearing in April by Brad Stewart.

Deschaine had received a continuance of his trial previously so that he could have a psychological evaluation performed.

The continuance issued on June 12 will see Deschaine back in court on August 14, six months after the alleged killing took place in the Oak Creek Shopping Center in Niceville.

According to the Marshall Project, the murder clearance rate (the rate at which murders are solved) in the United States sits at about 50%, which means only about half of murder investigations end with the arrest of a suspect.

The other set of murders in Niceville this decade, which took place in 2022, have not seen the defendants go to trial. The State of Florida still holds Isaiah Lamar Luna, Brenden J. Carson and Kaland Karon Jones for murdering Bryson Mitchem and Brandon deQuan James in the same Niceville Strip Center. Those defendants have a court date with Okaloosa Judge John Brown on July 8.