Judge declines request to reduce bond for shooting of swamp buggy racer, boyfriend
A Collier County judge has declined a request to reduce the bond of one of the co-defendants in the attempted murder plot of an accomplished swamp buggy racer and her boyfriend.
Collier Circuit Judge John McGowan on Friday said denied a request filed by James Derek Verderamo on behalf of Ryan Guy Toranzo, 38.
Toranzo will remain in custody without bond on two attempted first-degree murder counts, in addition to a $250,000 bond for one counts of shooting into an occupied vehicle.
Along with Julian Mendes-Wolf, 28, and Rebecca Gabay, 36, he's one of three arrested in the attempted murders of swamp buggy racer Amy Chesser and her boyfriend, Scott McCandless. Only Gabay has since been released from custody.
The June 1 shooting at the intersection of Immokalee Road and Twin Eagles Boulevard caused a rollover crash in Rural Estates. A GoFundMe identified the victims as Chesser and McCandless, who both suffered life-threatening injuries.
The couple was airlifted to Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Myers, a report indicates. Investigators later found both had been shot.
Both victims underwent several lifesaving procedures, including brain surgery.
At the hospital, McCandless told police his ex-wife hates him, and the two had a custody battle over their two children. Police were told Gabay said she would have him killed before he got custody of their children, an arrest report detailed.
According to their custody agreement, McCandless was supposed to receive more visitation with the children two days after he was shot.
McCandless told police Toranzo was his ex-wife's boyfriend, who lived with her. At a visitation with his children at a public park, he said Toranzo told him, "He would have him taken care of if he saw him outside of the park," according to the report.
During McCandless' visitation with his children the day before he was shot, his cellphone alerted him that an Apple Air Tag was tracking his location, according to that report.
Toranzo is next due in court Nov. 2 for a case management conference.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Judge won't reduce bond in shooting of swamp buggy racer, boyfriend
