Bradford man Stephen Stidd remains incarcerated for now as he awaits an October trial date for allegations in the shooting death of his former son-in-law.
The trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 23 in McKean County Court.
Stidd, 65, who is incarcerated in McKean County Jail without bail, was denied a request this week to be held prior to trial under house arrest with electronic monitoring to accommodate his health issues.
Argument on a motion by the defense to modify pretrial incarceration was set for Monday afternoon, which had attorneys for both sides meeting privately with Senior Judge John Cleland.
Attorneys James Miller and Greg Henry are representing Stidd, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office is prosecuting the case.
Following the discussion, Cleland wrote two orders: one denying without prejudice Stidd’s motion to modify pretrial incarceration, and a second granting part of a motion to compel discovery.
Regarding the discovery motion, the Commonwealth was given seven days to provide “electronic marking identification and transcripts of inculpating and exculpating statements,” Cleland’s order stated. Inculpating statements are those favorable to the prosecution, while exculpating statements would be favorable to the defense.
Meanwhile, another part of the discovery motion — a request for additional blood testing — will be “held in abeyance pending further request from the defendant’s counsel,” according to the order.
Cleland denied the pretrial incarceration request “without prejudice to present the issue in a subsequent petition if reasonable arrangements cannot be made to accommodate the defendant’s health care requirements.”
In a response to Stidd’s motion to modify his incarceration, Deputy Attorney General Bobbi Jo Wagner and Senior Deputy Attorney General L. Todd Goodwin referred to Pennsylvania law, stating, “These statutes apparently give the court the authority to order treatment for sentenced inmates. However, neither of these statutes allow for an inmate to simply go home.”
The prosecutors explained that in such a case, the incarceration would be transferred to a medical treatment facility of some type.
They assert that if Stidd felt he was receiving inadequate medical care at the jail, he should file a civil action.
Stidd is accused of shooting and killing his former son-in-law, Mel Bizzarro, in 2015.
The defense maintains that Stidd pulled the trigger out of self-defense against a larger, younger man who assaulted Stidd in the past and who allegedly was becoming aggressive during an argument. Meanwhile, prosecutors point to the alleged existence of a live round that was found in Stidd’s revolver that had the letters M-E-L inscribed in the lead.
Stidd is charged with one felony count of criminal homicide, according to court records.
