FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – The man accused of brutally murdering a 65-year-old man at a park in Farmington Hills last month was arraigned on Thursday.
Gabriel Bercea, 23, of Farmington Hills, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in connection to the homicide of Richard Alan Harris, who was found dead on a trail in Woodland Hills Park at around 4 p.m. on May 3.
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At the insistence of the prosecutor’s office, his bond was denied.
During the arraignment, Oakland County’s Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Meaghan Williams described the alleged circumstances of the attack, noting that Harris was violently bludgeoned and strangled in the middle of the day at the public park near Farmington Road and I-696.
The defendant reportedly has no prior criminal record or history of assault, according to his attorney.
Prosecutors say eye witnesses testified to seeing the victim and the defendant together at the park prior to the incident, however investigators say the two men did not know each other.
Police released a sketch of the suspect seen by witnesses on May 20, and apprehended Bercea at his place of work in Wixom on June 8 — more than a month after the murder took place.
Bercea was remanded to the Oakland County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary exam conference at 1:30 p.m. on June 24.
In a news release issued Thursday, Farmington Hills Police Chief John Piggott said that the case may not have been solved without the community’s assistance.
“I want to thank our community for placing their trust in us throughout this investigation and for the overwhelming support and cooperation shown to our investigators,” he said. “Farmington Hills remains a safe community because our residents are active partners in our community policing philosophy.”