Joseph Kidwell
COLUMBUS, Ind. — Seven weeks after a Hauser High School senior died of a gunshot wound, the 18-year-old accused of pulling the trigger made his first appearance in court.
In Bartholomew Circuit Court, an initial hearing was held Monday for Joseph T. Kidwell, a Hope native now residing northwest of Lafayette in Fowler. He’s accused of the Nov. 26 shooting death of 18-year-old Jesse W. Bragg.
Bragg
The Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s office has filed a formal charge of reckless homicide which accuses the defendant of recklessly killing another human being. The crime is a Level 5 felony punishable by one to six years in prison that has a presumptive sentence of three years.
Kidwell, who could also be ordered to pay up to $10,000 in fines, remains free on $1,500 bond.
After entering a preliminary plea of not guilty for the defendant, Judge Kelly Benjamin ordered a change of plea hearing or pre-trial conference to be held Monday, April 10 at 10 a.m. A tentative jury trial has been scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 9.
During the hearing, Michael DeArmitt confirmed he has been hired as Kidwell’s defense attorney. DeArmitt asked that his client’s email and telephone number be omitted from the public record. The judge complied with the request.
Six to seven other people were inside the residence at 319 Elm St. in Hope when the 9:52 p.m. shooting took place during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, court records state. Police also found open alcoholic beverages and a green leafy substance with an odor commonly associated with marijuana in plain view, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When questioned, Kidwell told investigators he thought he was aiming a low-powered, replica toy air gun at Bragg. Instead, the victim was hit in the chest with a bullet from an IWI Desert .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun, the affidavit states.
Witnesses at the scene told investigators Kidwell grabbed the pistol, racking the slide and pointed the pistol at Bragg, who was seated on the couch across from him, pulling the trigger one time, causing the pistol to fire, according to the affidavit.
Lifesaving measures were undertaken by those inside the home, as well as by Hope police officers, but Bragg was declared dead at the scene when emergency medical services arrived on the scene, the affidavit states. The Bartholomew County Coroner’s office has ruled the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the chest and his manner of death as homicide.
