Shooting Suspect Enters Not Guilty Plea

A little more than a month after being arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, the man accused of shooting a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in Newark has formally said he’s not guilty.

Dennis Bagwell, 61, of Piedmont entered a plea of not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault with a firearm when he appeared before Alameda County Superior Judge Dennis McLaughlin at the Fremont Hall of Justice Friday morning.

Bagwell waived his right to having a pretrial hearing within the next 10 days. Instead, he will appear in court for a pretrial hearing at 9 a.m. on April 20.

Public Defender Barbara Thomas also requested the court delay setting dates for a preliminary examination – which is when evidence is first presented before the court so that a judge can decide whether a case goes to trial.

Thomas said she prefers to see “further discovery” of the case before setting dates for a preliminary examination.

Bagwell was arrested Feb. 7 in Union City after officers responded to the 7700 block of Mayhews Landing Road in Newark and found an off-duty federal agent, who was later identified by media as Robert Suplik, outside of his one-story home.

Authorities have not released a direct motive, but Bagwell may have had a “near obsession” with Suplik’s wife, Iryna Smith. Sources have confirmed that Smith was a student of Bagwell’s at the Bay Area Optical Schools in Union City.

Since being arrested, Bagwell has been . He is being held on no bail in Santa Rita Jail.