A trial has been postponed in the beating death of a man in 2016 at Spanish Springs Town Square.
Brice Hall, 21, had been scheduled to stand trial Nov. 5 in Lake County Court in the death of 26-year-old Austin Stevens. However, in a 15-minute proceeding Thursday morning before Judge Lawrence Semento, that trial has been continued to a date yet to be determined.
Hall’s co-defendant, 21-year-old Nicholas Metcalfe, on Tuesday in Lake County Court entered a plea of no contest to a reduced charge of battery in Stevens’ death. Semento sentenced Metcalfe to six months probation, sparking outrage among those who called it a slap on the wrist.
What is not known is whether Metcalfe has agreed to testify against Hall, who faces the more serious charge of manslaughter. Hall’s lawyer, Stacy Youmans, has indicated that she plans to use a Stand Your Ground defense in her client’s case.
Hall and Metcalfe were still teenagers when they and two friends were in a minivan in the vicinity of Spanish Springs Town Square on the night of June 5, 2016. The van reportedly drove recklessly, sped around the square and was spinning tires in the parking lots, according to a report from the Lady Lake Police Department. When the group drove by McCall’s Tavern where Stevens was working, they proceeded to yell profanities at employees cleaning the patio area. When the group parked the minivan near TooJay’s restaurant, Stevens left McCall’s Tavern, heading toward the group from the minivan.
While Stevens was confronting two of the van’s occupants, Hall ran up behind Stevens and punched Stevens on the side of his head, causing Stevens to fall to the ground and strike the back of his head on the concrete. While on the ground and unresponsive, Metcalfe kicked Stevens in the face, police said.
When officers arrived on scene, Stevens was alert, mobile, and coherent. Stevens had a bloody nose and an ambulance was summoned. Stevens agreed to go the hospital and get checked out but he refused to make a statement about the incident. After being evaluated at The Villages Regional Hospital, it was determined that his injuries were more severe than originally thought and he was transferred to the trauma center at Ocala Regional Medical Center, where he later died of injuries suffered in the altercation.