Case Acquitted: After Spending More Than 2 Years in Jail, Jury Finds Homicide Defendant Not Guilty

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This case was acquitted on Nov. 9, 2022.

Jurors unanimously found a homicide defendant not guilty on all counts.

Mike Bidgell, 26, was charged with second-degree murder while armed in connection to the shooting death of 18-year-old Marquis Harrod on the 1300 block of Brentwood Road, NE on June 6, 2020. According to court documents, Bidgell supposedly shot Harrod three times from his car before driving off. The vehicle was later found burned in Maryland. He was initially arrested on June 17, 2020. According to the DC Court website, he has been held in the DC Jail since June 2020.

During the Nov. 9 ruling, the foreman of the jury stated “Not guilty” after every charge was read aloud. The jury unanimously found Bidgell not guilty for second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter while armed, possesion of a firearm during crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

After the verdict, Bidgell gave his defense attorney, Brian McDaniel, an appreciative hug and family members of Bidgell’s let out a sigh of relief from the audience and were smiling gratefully on their way out of the courtroom.

Members of Harrod’s family arrived after the jury’s verdict and were informed of the verdict in the hall, but their disappointment in the unanimous decision was heard from within the courtroom, “All of them? Not one?” a woman exclaimed.

Once the jury was dismissed, DC Superior Court Judge Milton Lee wished Bidgell luck as he was being taken out of the courtroom for the last time.

An order, releasing Bidgell from prison was filed on Nov. 9.