Kirk Lee Bigby
Kirk Lee Bigby, 61, of Finland, Minnesota, facing charges of 2nd degree murder, appeared briefly in Cook County court on Friday, March 11, only to have his attorneys and County Attorney Molly Hicken agree to schedule the next hearing in his case for 10:30 a.m. on May 27.
Bigby was arrested on December 9 for allegedly shooting and killing Marcus Lee Roberts, 35, from Bloomington, Minnesota at Bluefin Bay Resort in Tofte.
Friends and family of Marcus Roberts filled three rows of courtroom seating for the short discussion. Many once again wore the white T-shirts they donned for Bigby’s January 13 appearance bearing a photo of Roberts along with the dates September 4, 1980 – December 11, 2015.
The audience listened quietly as defense attorneys Brent R. Olson and Gerald Wallace told Judge Eric Hylden that they were willing to postpone Bigby’s next hearing until the majority of evidence being processed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) was available.
Noting that the final piece of evidence—an analysis of the jacket worn by Roberts at the time of the shooting—is not expected to be available until June, Judge Hylden asked County Attorney Molly Hicken if she was willing to reschedule the hearing. Hicken said the state was “fine” with that timeline.
Bigby’s arrest followed a 9-1-1 call reporting gunshots fired in the parking lot of Bluefin Bay Resort’s Bluefin Grille at 12:12 a.m. on December 9. Sheriff Deputies arrived to find Roberts on the ground, bleeding and unresponsive. He was declared deceased shortly after. Witnesses who were at the Bluefin Bay Resort employee holiday party identified Bigby, a resort staff member, as the alleged shooter. He was arrested and booked into the Cook County Jail on the charge of 2nd degree murder.
Roberts’ family members and friends present at court once again declined making any statement, however, they asked that a website created to benefit Robert’s children be made public. For information, visit www.gofundme.com/weloveyoumarcus.
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