CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — A fourth person has been indicted in connection with last summer’s shooting death of a former WVU student during an alleged drug deal on a public basketball court in Charles Town.
Braden Fitzgerald, 17, faces murder and other charges stemming from the July 19, 2016, death of Ryan Mumaw, 21, of Charles Town. The shooting took place in the
Tuscawilla Hills subdivision.
Fitzgerald’s three co-defendants, Rakeem Newman, 21, and Malakye Boyd, 18, both of Charles Town, and Tayjuhn Coble, 19, of Ranson were indicted by a grand jury meeting in January on the same charges.
Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Harvey said although charges against Fitzgerald came later than his co-defendants they still hope to try the defendants simultaneously.
“The three that were already indicted have the same dates set for trial,” according to Harvey. “We’re going to ask that Mr. Fitzgerald gets his trial date to be set at the same time.”
Harvey said Fitzgerald could ask to be tried separately.
“They can ask that it be severed from the other defendants, and that would have to be argued at a later time.”
There is a pretrial hearing scheduled in the case for May 22.
The defendants allegedly arranged to meet Mumaw on the basketball court to buy a pound of marijuana for $3,200.
According to court records, their faces were covered and they allegedly planned on robbing him.
Mumaw was a junior business major at WVU at the time of his death.