Trial delayed for Austin man connected to 2020 murder-for-hire plot
AUSTIN (KXAN) — It could be a while before an Austin man arrested in a murder-for-hire plot gets a trial.
Erik Charles Maund, 47, a former partner of an Austin-based auto group Maund Automotive, was accused of paying three men to kidnap and kill his former girlfriend Holly Williams and her boyfriend William Lanway in March 2020, according to federal documents.
Indictment records said Maund was married. Lanway reportedly demanded money from Maund and said he would expose Maund’s relationship with Williams if he did not send it.
Maund was charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping resulting in death, and carrying, brandishing and discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
One of the men Maund hired, Gilad Peled from Austin, entered a guilty plea in December 2022, Maund has yet to stand trial. KXAN obtained a status report filed in February 2023 on behalf of the attorneys. The report says both sides tried to aim for a trial date in 2023 but it will need to be delayed due to scheduling conflicts.
"The parties have had discussions in good faith but, based on the schedules of the involved attorneys, the parties cannot agree on a trial date in the second half of 2023 as instructed by the Court," according to the U.S. District Court in Nashville status report. "The parties are now discussing a trial date in early 2024 but do not have a new date to propose to the Court."
U.S. attorneys plan to continue filing status reports until a trial date is set.
The Department of Justice says Maund withdrew $15,000 from his account on the same day an “intelligence report” was prepared and given to Peled. According to the department, North Carolina resident Adam Carey and Austin resident Bryon Brockway traveled to Nashville to watch Williams and Lanway.
According to the arrest affidavit, Brockway and Carey murdered Lanway and Williams with several gunshots to the head before disposing of them at a construction site.
Digital Reporter Cora Neas and Russell Falcon contributed to this report.