Case Acquitted: Man Arraigned on Murder, Firearms Charges in Reference to Brookland Shooting

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This case was acquitted on Nov. 9, 2022.

A DC Superior Court judge arraigned a defendant on charges of second-degree murder while armed, possessing a firearm during a crime of violence and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction for his alleged role in the deadly shooting of an 18-year-old in the Brookland neighborhood of Northeast, DC.

Mike Bidgell is accused of shooting Marquis Harrod on the 1300 block of Brentwood Road, NE, on June 6, 2020. The 26-year-old defendant was arrested less than two weeks after the homicide. Prosecutors filed the three-count indictment last December and Judge Maribeth Raffinan arraigned him during a Feb. 15 hearing.

Bidgell pleaded not guilty to all charges.

During the hearing, defense attorney Peter Fayne asked Judge Raffinan for a decision on a release motion filed while Judge Neal Kravitz was presiding over the case. Judge Raffinan decided to let Judge Kravitz address that motion. 

An Innocence Protection Act hearing was requested to discuss DNA testing. That hearing is scheduled for March 17.

As parties prepare to take this case to trial in October, motions are due by Aug. 1 with responses due by Aug. 22. Expert notice from the prosecution is due by March 11.