Man Arrested In Death Of Brady Howe

(MITCHELL) – A Mitchell man has been arrested in the death of 20-year old Brady Howe.

19-year-old Preston Lagle, of Mitchell, is charged with one count of reckless homicide, a Level 5 felony, and a count of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.

Lagle was booked into Orange County Jail last Wednesday after admitting to his role in the death of Howe. His bond is set at $200,000 cash. A jury trial is set for December 1, 2020 at 8:30 a.m.

According to the probable cause affidavit filed in Orange County Circuit Court, the shooting occurred in the 2600 block of County Road 500 North in Orange County on November 14, 2019 at 9:00 p.m.

Howe lived in a rental home with another friend. Howe, Lagle and three other people were in the home at the time of the shooting. Officials say that one occupant of the home was taking a shower while two others had gone to a bedroom in the home. This left Lagle and Howe in the kitchen of the home.

Allegedly, earlier that evening the occupants suspected that an unwanted individual was outside of the rental home. This lended to the explanation as to why a gun was located in the kitchen on the table. After investigating the outside premises, the gun owner took the magazine out of the gun and laid both on the kitchen table. At that time, he retired to the bathroom to take a shower leaving Lagle in the kitchen with the unloaded gun.

During the initial Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigation, Lagle originally told Orange County Sheriff’s Deputies that Howe picked up the gun to move it and it fired, hitting Howe between the eyes. He told deputies he didn’t know the gun fired, as Howe’s finger was not on the trigger.

During the questioning of the gun owner, he stated that Lagle was not experienced with firearms, however Howe was. “He was not going to look down a barrel you know; he is smarter than that,” the gun owner told police in regards to Howe.

During further questioning, it was stated that another occupant of the home called 911. Howe was transported to IU Health Paoli Hospital and then airlifted to University of Louisville Hospital. He was declared dead on November 16, 2019 and his organs were donated

Dr. William Ralston of the Louisville Medical Examiners Office called the investigating officers after examining Howe’s body. The forensic pathologists said there was no stippling, which is an imprint that would prove the gun was shot at close range. They said the minimum distance the gun was from the victim when it was fired would have been 18-24 inches.

According to Ralston it would be virtually impossible for the gun shot to be self inflicted.

On June 23, 2020, Orange County Sheriff’s Department Detective Jon Deaton asked Lagle to come in for another interview.

They met on June 29, 2020 and initially Lagle stuck to his original story about how Howe was holding the gun when it was fired.

Deaton told him his version of events did not not match the evidence and he was looking for the truth about what happened that night.

Lagle reportedly began to cry and said, “I haven’t talked to anyone about it.”

According to court documents, Deaton then told Lagle that he needed to know what happened.

“We were just playing around you know, and I picked up the gun, and accidentally shot him,” said Lagle. “I didn’t mean to; I was scared because I did not want to get in trouble,” Lagle concluded.