Manslaughter Case Dropped In Bondage Death

OCTOBER 9--Prosecutors concluded that a manslaughter case was “not suitable” to be pursued against a defendant charged with beating to death another man during a drug-fueled bondage session in a garage apartment littered with sex toys and in which the victim was found “bound and gagged” wearing a black leather mask and other fetish garb, according to court records.

While the arrest of Bryant Demelo, 35, was announced earlier this year by Florida investigators, the subsequent decision to abandon the case was not the subject of a similar press release (and received no media notice).

The one-page “No Information” notice to the court came from an assistant state attorney who noted that the declination “is taken to clear the records and to release subject’s bond.” Prosecutors offered no further details as to their decision to drop the felony count.

A TSG request for documents in the case was just completed by court officials who took several months to post online a redacted copy of the graphic arrest affidavit charging Demelo with the September 2022 killing of Todd Reade, a 43-year-old management consultant

Defending his pummeling of Reade, Demelo (seen above) was adamant that he acted in self-defense, claiming that he was fearful of being severely injured when Reade clamped down on his penis and would not relax his jaw.

“Stop biting, open your fucking mouth,” Demelo said he demanded of Reade. Demelo told cops he could not identify the “trigger” that “caused Todd to bite his penis,” though he speculated that “this could have been influenced or caused by the methamphetamine Todd had consumed rectally just prior to the fellatio on the ottoman.” Asked if Reade made any unusual noises “prior to the incident,” Demelo replied that Reade was making “appropriate noises for my dick being in his mouth.”

The court affidavit describes Demelo as a veteran who retired from the military with PTSD. Despite that diagnosis, Demelo said he “feels he has a healthy mindset.”

Reade--a Canadian who split his time in Florida--was found dead atop a garbage bag-covered ottoman inside a residence in Kissimmee, a city 20 miles south of Orlando. The masked Reade was in a “bondage harness,” leather collar, and wrist restraints. Blood had dripped onto the carpet below and “a large black dildo...was resting” nearby, police reported.

A search of Reade’s iPhone revealed text messages in which Demelo agreed to “sexual favors in return for money.” The phone--which had been positioned to record the pair’s sexual encounter--contained videos and images showing Reade (pictured above) with a bone-shaped gag in his mouth while Demelo wore “a dog mask,” a “silver chain with a bone pendant,” and a purple and yellow cock ring.

The phone also included a text message from Demelo to Reade that was sent a few hours after Demelo left the victim bloodied and unconscious in the apartment.   

“Yo I’m so sorry man...You almost bit my cock off and I couldn’t get you off me,” Demelo wrote. “I got scared and had to get you off some how...Lmk know youre alright pls. U were sleeping when I left.”

Demelo told police he met Reade “through the internet on a site for sexual deviants” and arrived at the victim’s apartment with methamphetamine (some of which he later injected into Reade). The duo’s four-hour “sex-capade,” Demelo said, was “sweet,” adding that they “attempted to live stream the encounter but encountered difficulties.”

Before departing the apartment, Demelo--who knew Reade was unconscious--said he “collected his various sex toys from the living room and bedroom,” but “may have accidentally taken some sex toys and props belonging to Todd.” Demelo left without rendering aid to Reade or summoning medical assistance, investigators noted. “Todd ultimately passed away as a result of his encounter with Bryant,” the arrest affidavit alleged.

A coroner’s report concluded that Reade’s cause of death was strangulation, with “blunt force trauma to the head” listed as a significant condition contributing to his demise. 

Demelo, who lives in Orlando, was nabbed in January while at a shopping mall. A post-arrest frisk reportedly turned up a Ziploc baggie containing meth, which resulted in the filing of a felony drug charge separate from the manslaughter count.

While the manslaughter prosecution has been dropped, the narcotics possession case--to which Demelo has pleaded not guilty--remains active. During a late-August court hearing, a judge ordered Demelo to obtain new counsel since the jurist had granted his prior lawyer’s motion to withdraw due to “irreconcilable differences” between himself and Demelo.

Free on $3000 bond, Demelo’s next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday, October 11. (7 pages)