A Superior Court judge has denied a request to lower the bond for a person of interest in the Sept. 25 shooting death of 28-year-old Darius Bishop.

Bishop’s body was found at Ray Hayward Memorial Field on Route 163 in Bozrah. The state medical examiner ruled the death a homicide as a result of a gunshot wound.

Two days later, Norwich police arrested Dequan McKethan, 34, of 61 Summit St. on motor vehicle charges and said they seized a .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun from him along with a clear plastic bag of cocaine and a marijuana cigar. Bishop had been killed with the same caliber weapon, according to police.

When arrested, McKethan was found sitting in his car less than 300 feet from where Bishop’s car was found on Bills Avenue, police said. The police did not charge him in connection with Bishop’s death, but at his arraignment on the motor vehicle, drug and weapon charges Judge Kevin P. McMahon set his bond at $500,000.

McKethan has been unable to post the bond. During his appearance Monday in Superior Court in Norwich, defense attorney William T. Koch Jr. argued for a reduction of the high bond, noting that his client is a person of interest in the murder but has not been charged.

“Each day gone by that’s he’s not charged makes the higher bond less fair,” Koch said.

Judge Arthur C. Hadden, sitting in for McMahon, denied the bond reduction request and continued the case to Nov. 15.

Prosecutors said they could not comment on the ongoing investigation.