Brandon McCray Case: Hollywood Beach Death, Charges, and Penalty

Brandon McCray is the 28-year-old Florida man indicted by a Broward County grand jury on charges of first-degree murder, sexual battery, and kidnapping in the December 2025 death of Heather Asendorf, whose body was found on Hollywood Beach. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, and McCray is being held without bond at the Broward County Main Jail.¹²

What Happened on Hollywood Beach

Just after 7 a.m. on December 26, 2025, a passerby found Heather Asendorf’s body on the sand near Cleveland Street on Hollywood Beach in Broward County. Witnesses said she was wrapped in a white blanket, and a blood trail ran from a nearby road intersection to a fountain about 100 yards away.³⁴ Police concluded foul play was involved but did not publicly disclose the cause of death.

Asendorf was 56 and originally from Pennsylvania, with longstanding ties to the State College area. She was visiting friends in Hollywood over the holidays and had been staying at a hotel near the beach.⁵ Officials later said Asendorf and McCray knew each other, though the nature of their relationship has not been made public.⁶

How Detectives Identified McCray

Investigators worked from three separate crime scenes. After the beach, they identified the pool area of the Oasis Surfside Rental Condos at 330 Arthur Street, where they recovered a drawstring backpack and clothing. Based on statements McCray gave during questioning, they later located a third scene: a laundry room at 319 Connecticut Street, where a woman’s underwear and a silver hoop earring were recovered.²

Police obtained an image of a person of interest matching the description of a man seen carrying Asendorf’s nude body, wrapped in a bed sheet, onto the sand. Late on the night of December 26, officers at a Circle K at 890 North Federal Highway found a man matching that description, identified as Brandon Ward McCray.²

Surveillance footage from several locations tied the case together. According to the arrest warrant, hours of recordings showed McCray forcibly grabbing Asendorf, carrying her to the laundry room, and sexually assaulting her while she was unconscious. In one segment he placed her in a chokehold and lifted her off the ground, after which her body went limp. Further video captured him transporting her body to the beach and disposing of her belongings and the bed sheet.²

Charges and the Death Penalty Decision

McCray was initially arrested on December 30, 2025, on charges of kidnapping, battery by strangulation, battery, and two counts of sexual battery. Some reports place the formal arrest date as January 5, 2026, when he was held on $770,000 bond.³

A Broward County grand jury later returned an indictment adding first-degree murder to the case. The full indictment charges McCray with:¹

One count of first-degree murder
Two counts of sexual battery
One count of kidnapping

Prosecutors have announced they will seek the death penalty.²

Where the Case Stands

McCray is being held without bond at the Broward County Main Jail. No trial date in the Asendorf murder case has been publicly scheduled.²

A separate Florida case involving a defendant named Brandon McCray, who pleaded guilty in June 2026 to attacking a West Palm Beach police officer and was sentenced to 30 years, has circulated alongside coverage of the Hollywood Beach killing. The West Palm Beach defendant was described in court as 38 years old, while the Hollywood Beach defendant is 28, and available reporting suggests these are two different men sharing the same name rather than the same person.⁷

1
Miami Herald. Broward Grand Jury Indicts Man in Hollywood Beach Murder
2
Local 10 News. Arrest Warrant Reveals Details Into Fatal Hollywood Beach Sexual Battery Arrest
3
NBC Miami. Man Arrested in Connection With Death of Woman Found on Hollywood Beach
4
Fox News. Florida Man Accused of Killing Woman, Dumping Body at Popular Tourist Destination
5
Sun-Sentinel. Man Charged in Sexual Assault of Woman Found Dead on Hollywood Beach
6
New York Post. Florida Man Charged With Kidnapping, Sexual Battery After Woman Found Dead on Beach
7
WPBF. Homeless Man Attacked West Palm Beach Police Officer, Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison