A grand jury has added a firearm charge against an 87-year-old Frederick man accused of fatally shooting his 63-year-old roommate inside their shared Franklin Street home last month, following a bizarre sequence of events that began with a confession at a local church. Irwin Joseph Dickstein now faces first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and a charge of using a firearm in the commission of a felony or crime of violence in the death of Michael Roy Bushnell.
The indictment formalizes charges that followed Dickstein's initial arrest on September 20, as reported by 930 WFMD. According to court charging documents reviewed by FOX 5 DC, the fatal shooting stemmed from an argument over home repairs, after Bushnell turned off power to the residence to work on an electrical outlet, which allegedly angered Dickstein. Neighbors also reported hearing gunshots around 5:30 a.m. on September 20 following the dispute.
Charging documents reported by WBAL Radio specify that Dickstein allegedly shot Bushnell multiple times in the torso while Bushnell was taking a shower in the home's upstairs bathroom. Police later discovered Bushnell's body on the bathroom floor during a welfare check at the unsecured Franklin Street residence, located on the unit block near the Great Frederick Fairgrounds in a neighborhood neighbors have described as peaceful and otherwise unaccustomed to violent crime.
A Confession at Church Set Off the Investigation
Rather than fleeing, Dickstein had an acquaintance drive him to Frederick Christian Fellowship Church on the morning of September 20, 2026, where he confessed to an associate pastor that he had killed someone, according to Charisma News. That confession prompted the pastor to contact law enforcement around 10:30 a.m. Dickstein reportedly identified his roommate and address to deputies at the church before requesting legal counsel.
Following the church confession, investigators obtained a search warrant and recovered a Beretta handgun from a gray case stored in the trunk of the vehicle owned by the driver who had brought Dickstein to the church, per The Independent. The driver reportedly told officers that Dickstein had placed the case in the trunk prior to arriving at church.
Biographical Details and Initial Charges
An official Frederick Police Department release confirmed Bushnell was 63 years old, born August 23, 1963, and Dickstein was 87 years old, born December 18, 1938. Police assigned the homicide investigation case number 2026-059966. Before the grand jury returned its indictment adding the firearm offense, Frederick Police had initially arrested Dickstein on single counts of first-degree murder and second-degree murder, the department's release noted — second-degree murder under Maryland law applies to intentional killings committed without premeditation.
Dickstein has been held without bail since his September 21 hearing, according to 930 WFMD. He was also ordered to undergo an inpatient competency examination, with a competency hearing set for October 13.
What Dickstein Could Face If Convicted
Under Section 2-201 of the Maryland Code of Criminal Law, a conviction for first-degree murder is a felony punishable by life imprisonment, with or without the possibility of parole, according to Justia.
The firearm charge alleges use of a firearm during the commission of a felony or crime of violence.
A Separate Shooting in Frederick
The Franklin Street case came just days before Hoodline's report on a Hope Circle shooting that left a man critically wounded, a separate incident that occurred after Frederick Police had already opened the death investigation on Franklin Street and announced murder charges against Dickstein. With the competency hearing now set for October 13, the question of whether Dickstein is fit to stand trial looms as the next major turn in a case that has already taken an unusual path from a quiet residential block to a church confession and a grand jury's indictment room.
