Man guilty of deadly New Year’s Day shooting in Cape Coral; sentenced to 19 years in prison

Writer: Joey Pellegrino
Published: Updated:
mcdowell mug
Credit: Cape Coral Police Department

A Lehigh Acres man was adjudicated guilty Monday morning of first-degree manslaughter for a New Year’s Day shooting in Cape Coral and sentenced to 19 years in prison.

Trace Thomas McDowell, 24, was adjudicated guilty on one count of first-degree manslaughter with a weapon, a first-degree felony. On Jan. 1, Cape Coral police responded to a disturbance at an apartment complex in Cape Coral. McDowell was found behind the complex, agitated, and the victim was found in an apartment, shot to death.

The defendant admitted doing drugs and having a “bad trip” on hallucinogens during a New Year’s Eve celebration, leading to the shooting of his friend.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.