He declined a plea deal. So he’s now charged with first-degree murder

Just a couple weeks before he is set to stand trial, a man was indicted on first-degree murder charge for the 2016 fatal shooting of Charles Lehnert.

Daniel Lee Mann, 23, was first arrested and charged with second-degree murder with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted weapon in the days after Lehnert’s death. During recent court hearings, Mann was offered a plea deal but he declined.

Mann admitted to shooting Lehnert while his co-defendant, James Michael Hardy, held him down, the lead homicide Detective Dan Dickerman has previously testified in open court. Both men fled the area following the shooting but were apprehended and arrested in Tallahassee.

On Friday morning, a grand jury was convened and after about an hour of deliberations handed up the indictment charging Mann with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Assistant State Attorney Garrett Franzen indicated in court that prosecutors would not be seeking the death penalty, he later told the Bradenton Herald.

Mann is scheduled to stand trial during the two-week trial period that starts July 31. If convicted of the first-degree murder, Mann will automatically receive a life prison sentence.

Hardy, 23, charged with principal to second-degree murder, is scheduled to stand trial during the two-week trial period that begins Oct. 2. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.

On the night of Jan. 23, 2016, Lehnert, 31, was shot to death in the parking lot of lawn equipment provider Gravely of Bradenton, 5732 15th St. E., during a drug deal gone bad, according to investigators.

The day after Lehnert was killed, the sheriff’s office released images from video surveillance showing the two suspects. Detectives later received information identifying Mann and Hardy as the suspects, and the informant said that Hardy had admitted to being involved, according to the sheriff’s office.

Detectives also connected Mann to the crime scene, identifying a photo of Mann on his Facebook page of him wearing the same hat found at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office.

This story was originally published July 21, 2017 at 2:53 PM with the headline "He declined a plea deal. So he’s now charged with first-degree murder."