Judge Continues to Hold Defendant Charged with Second-Degree Murder

By D.C. Witness Staff - August 18, 2020
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Victims |

On Aug. 17, a DC judge declined to release a 25-year-old defendant charged with second-degree murder while armed.

Micah Bidgell was arrested and charged with the murder of 18-year-old Marquis Harrod. Bidgell allegedly shot Harrod twice from the driver’s seat of a black, 2-door Honda Accord on June 6 on the 1300 block of Brentwood Road, NE.

During the hearing on Aug. 17, the prosecutor and Bidgell’s defense attorney, Peter Fayne, cross-examined Detective Kevin Decker, who is the lead investigator on the case.

Decker confirmed the investigation into Bidgell began from video surveillance footage from inside Quick Trip 24, a convenience store located on the same block as the homicide and outside a liquor store that is also located on the block.

From stills of the footage, Decker created a “be on the lookout” (BOLO) for both the suspect and the vehicle of interest involved in the shooting. Per Decker’s testimony and the police report filed, he was contacted by another MPD officer who identified the suspect as Bidgell. 

Decker said he compared the photos from the BOLO to photos of Bidgell’s Instagram account and found several matching articles of clothing, including black sunglasses, a Gucci hat, distinct shoes, a watch, a chain worn around the neck and a rectangular-shaped keychain.

In addition, a car that matched the description of the vehicle in the video footage was found burnt a day after the homicide. According to Decker, the owner of the vehicle had been out of town during the homicide and was unaware of anyone using it.

The owner told Decker that he knew Bidgell and had given him permission to drive the car at another date while he was out of town.

The prosecution asked Decker about the stippling found on Harrod, which is residue found on subjects when a shot his fired at close range. Decker confirmed the medical examiner found stippling.

The prosecutor said the stippling is consistent with the theory that the shooter was in the driver’s seat of the car.

Fayne confirmed there were no witnesses to the murder, and he also confirmed that Decker received an email on June 9 from Keith Parker, an employee of the Court Supervision and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA), suggesting the suspect in the BOLO could be another individual, who Parker is currently supervising. 

Also, Decker said he never interviewed Parker further on his recommendation, but he reviewed photos of the individual and said he did not believe it was the person involved in the homicide. 

Decker also confirmed that there was at least one other individual in the car. The detective said the individual, who was in the passenger seat, could have fired the gun. However, Decker said it was more likely that the driver of the vehicle fired the gun given the stippling.

When Fayne asked Decker why the man in the passenger seat had not been arrested as well, Decker said it was because he had not been identified.

Due to these facts, Fayne argued for DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson to not find probable cause and to release Bidgell into the High Intensity Supervision Program (HISP) while his case is pending.

Judge Dayson did find probable cause.

But, she said she could not find a substantial probability that the evidence showed Bidgell was the shooter.

Judge Dayson also declined the defense’s request for release into HISP, citing a gun possession conviction and another firearms offense that he was on supervision for when the alleged offense took place.

Bidgell’s next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 16.