Brian Baldridge, 23, sat in his orange jail jumpsuit handcuffed with chains in Portsmouth Municipal Court Tuesday morning and listened to Portsmouth Police Detective Andy Dawes descibe how he believes Baldridge killed Garrett Maloney, 19, of South Webster on May 1.

The scene was a preliminary hearing in Judge Russell D. Kegley's court on charges of aggravated murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

As Assistant City Solicitor Jerry Buckler questioned Dawes, the detective gave what he said evidence will prove at a trial.

According to Dawes, the scenario featured three people, Maloney, Baldridge and Joshua Kessinger, 21. Baldridge and Kessinger both lived at 2209 Robinson Ave.

Dawes said Baldridge believed Maloney had stolen drugs including blood pressure medicine from that residence, then returned later in the day, where there was a confrontation.

Dawes said Baldridge had a .22 caliber rifle, which Baldridge reportedly told him "just happened to go off."

Maloney reportedly died from two gunshot wounds to the head, and according to Dawes, was stripped of his clothes, placed in a city-issued trash can. He said the two dumped Maloney's clothes, car keys, cellphone and weapon in the river and took Maloney's body and dumped it down a manhole in an alley off the 2100 block of Vinton Avenue.

Dawes said that later on Kessinger came to the police station and told them where the body was, and they went to the scene and located it.

"Mr. Baldridge implicated himself as well as Mr. Kessinger," Dawes said.

Buckler asked for the current bail to be increased. Baldridge's attorney George Davis argued his client had no prior conviction and lives in Portsmouth. Kegley kept the bail at $250,000 for aggravated murder, $50,000 for tampering with evidence, and $45,000 for abuse of a corpse. Kegley then bound Baldridge over to a Scioto County grand jury.

Last week, Kessinger waived his right to a similar preliminary hearing.

FRANK LEWIS may be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232, or flewis@heartlandpublications.com.