It looks like the 19-year-old man accused of murdering a popular local cycling and music enthusiast won’t be getting out of jail soon.
The alleged killer appeared in state Superior Court on Elm Street Wednesday morning on charges of murdering 23-year-old Mitchell Dubey during an apparent robbery attempt on March 24, 2011.
Judge Bruce Thompson set the suspect’s bond at $3 million and transferred the case to the Church Street courthouse, where the suspect is scheduled to appear again on Sept. 18.
The suspect showed up in court wearing a Champion sweatshirt, camouflage shorts, and shackled Nike sneakers. He did not speak during his brief appearance.
Both his public defender, Shep Sherwood, and the prosecutor, Joseph LaMotta, suggested to the judge that he keep the bail at $3 million.
At the time of his arrest Tuesday, the suspect was out on probation stemming from a 2011 felony robbery conviction. He also has a third-degree criminal trespass case pending.
The suspect’s mother appeared in court; she chose not to speak with reporters afterwards. His aunt, community activist Barbara Fair, was there too.
“Right now we’re just devastated,” Fair said. “He’s charged, not convicted. We’re going to be here to support him. He’s a really, really great kid.”
New Haven Detective Sgt. Otoniel Reyes arrested the suspect without incident at around 7 p.m. Tuesday on Winchester Avenue. The police department had earlier that day obtained a warrant to arrest the suspect in connection with the murder. Read about that here. Police charged him with felony murder, home invasion, robbery, carrying a pistol without a permit, and first-degree reckless endangerment.
The suspect allegedly was looking to pull off a robbery when he came to the door of the home that Dubey and other young cycling and music enthusiasts shared on Bassett Street in Newhallville, on March 24, 2011. The man had a shirt pulled over his face and walked into the apartment a little after 10 p.m. He ordered Dubey and his housemates to sit down, and after Dubey pleaded, “Dude, just put down the gun,” fired a deadly bullet into Dubey’s chest, then fled.
Mitchell Dubey was a beloved fixture in New Haven’s active bicycling scene, a friendly face and dependable staffer at the Devil’s Gear Bike Shop. He also played in the Flaming Tsunamis and other bands. He and his roommates hosted house concerts in their Bassett Street home. His murder shocked the city and provoked grief — and prompted supportive gatherings and musical fundraisers for his family — across the country.
