Pretrial hearings for Lehigh Acres house party shooting suspects to continue, judge awaits new video

Jared Williams and Desmond Garlin appeared in court Monday morning for their pretrial detention hearings, but no decisions were made, and the proceedings will continue tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, both men were arrested in connection to a shooting that occurred last month at an Airbnb party on Willard Avenue in Lehigh Acres. Investigators said the incident began with a fight between two women, which escalated to people being maced and eventually led to a shooting outside the property. Investigators said Garlin is one of the individuals who fired a weapon. His mother was called to the stand as a witness to identify him in a video. Garlin’s public defender argued that he is a victim and acted in self-defense, claiming someone at the house shot first. The lawyer said Garlin should not be charged with attempted second-degree murder or held ahead of trial. The defense also stated that another video shows a different shooter. The judge has given the state until tomorrow afternoon to present the video before making a decision. Garlin has pleaded not guilty. As for Williams, he was appointed a public defender and given one day to gather materials and prepare for the hearing. Both men are expected back in court tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV