A Durango woman pleaded guilty Thursday to firing a handgun with the purpose of evoking fear of serious injury to a man who had just fended off an attack from the woman’s acquaintance.
Prosecutors charged Brandy Carl, 27, with attempted murder, assault and two counts of menacing, all felonies, in connection with her involvement in a stabbing Jan. 14 at the Iron Horse Inn in north Durango. In a plea agreement with the 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Carl pleaded guilty to felony menacing – a conviction that carries one to three years in prison followed by two years of parole.
Sentencing is set for May 16 before District Court Judge Suzanne Carlson.
Police arrested Carl on suspicion of firing a pistol at Bryan Picard after he, in self-defense, stabbed her acquaintance, Ian Taylor, in the leg with a knife.
Carl is one of three co-defendants accused of attacking Bryan Picard earlier this year in retaliation to Picard allegedly shooting at Carl a few days before the stabbing, according to an arrest affidavit. The altercation began around 3:30 a.m. Jan . 14 when Picard went to Taylor’s apartment for what he thought was a pickup of marijuana.
When Picard walked into the apartment, he saw Carl at the top of a flight of stairs, and Taylor “almost immediately began talking about (Picard) shooting a gun at Carl,” according to an arrest affidavit. Taylor hit Picard in the head at least three times with a makeshift cane and continued “hitting him with his fist and that at some point in this altercation (Picard) ended up on his back,” police wrote in arresting documents.
Picard told police he saw Carl walk down the staircase with a handgun “while scuffling with Ian Taylor,” according to the affidavit. Another man – later identified as Christopher Lewis – joined Taylor in the assault, according to the affidavit.
As Picard said he was losing consciousness, he grabbed a knife sheathed on his belt and stabbed upward twice, missing once and hitting Taylor in the leg the second time, according to the affidavit. Taylor “immediately stopped fighting and got off (Picard),” who ran toward the door of the apartment, according to police.
Picard told police he heard a gunshot and saw glass explode outward, “inches in front of him,” police wrote.
“Picard said he is certain (Carl) fired the shot,” according to the affidavit.
Taylor is charged with felony assault and two counts of felony menacing. He is scheduled for a motions hearing July 18. Christopher Lewis pleaded guilty to assault April 5, a conviction that could result in probation or two years in jail. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 28.
bhauff@durangoherald.com
