Two-Year-Old Murder Case May Resolve With an Insanity Plea

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Defendant Jayquan Bridgeman and his defense counsel are considering filing a plea of not criminally responsible (NCR) for the murder of 43-year-old Michael Washington more than two years ago. Legally, it’s virtually the same an insanity defense in which the defendant claims he’s not to blame for his actions.

Since his first court appearance in November 2022, the 25-year-old defendant’s case was sent to Baltimore City Circuit Court’s mental heath court before Judge Gale E. Rasin, where he was deemed incompetent to stand trial for charges of first-degree murder and using a deadly weapon with the intent to injure.

Bridgeman is accused of stabbing Washington in the abdomen with a switchblade on the 1400 block of North Central Avenue on Oct. 5, 2022. A witness reported the incident to Baltimore Police.

Washington was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

During reception court on May 30, defense attorney Isabel Lipman said her client was recently found competent for trial in February. He is currently being held at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center to maintain his competency until his trial.

Lipman informed Judge Melissa M. Phinn that they were considering filing a NCR plea, allowing the defendant to plead not criminally responsible for his actions since he was mentally unable to recognize the criminality of his actions, or conform his behavior to the law. No filing as occurred as of Friday morning.

The defense attorney also said she has an expert coming to see her client and requested to return to reception court next month to schedule a trial date.

Counsel agreed to bring the case back on June 27.