A 19-year-old arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a Bradenton teen who worked and played on Anna Maria Island could go to trial later this summer, according to the 12th Circuit Court docket.
Before that, a docket sounding in the case against Carter Thomas Layne of Parrish is set for 9 a.m. July 15 at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
Layne is accused in the death of Jan Michael “JM” Feeney, 17, of Bradenton, on March 8, 2024, in a residential backyard in the 5900 block of Eighth Avenue Drive West in Bradenton.
A probable cause affidavit from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office states that witnesses observed Layne, under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, waving a revolver that he said was not loaded.
“The victim … in joking manner said the gun was not loaded. Carter Layne pointed the gun at the victim’s chest and pulled the trigger. … The victim fell to the ground,” the MCSO report states.
Layne was 17 when arrested but is charged as an adult with manslaughter with a weapon, a felony.
A vigil for Feeney is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 23, outside the judicial center in the Bradenton courthouse square. A news release issued July 9 read, “We will come together to remember and to ask for justice for JM Feeney.”
People who attend are asked to wear green, JM Feeney’s favorite color, and to bring LED candles and signs reading, “JUSTICE FOR JM.”
The teen worked at the Beach House Restaurant in Bradenton Beach and played sports at the Center of Anna Maria Island in Anna Maria, where the field was named JM Feeney Sports Park this spring and the JM Feeney Memorial Cup soccer tournament was held in May.
— Lisa Neff