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Mohamad S. Barkhadle looked confused Thursday as he appeared in an Ottawa court on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of the woman whose toddler son spent 10 days fending for himself after her death.

Barkhadle, 31, winced and shook his head repeatedly as the charge was read. At one point, the justice of the peace told him to pay attention.

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But this wasn’t Barkhadle’s first trip through the Elgin Street courthouse.

READ: Two-year-old Ottawa boy fended for himself in apartment for 10 days after mom was killed

In fact, he was last set free on Oct. 26 after Justice Heather Perkins-McVey denied a Crown application to brand Barkhadle a dangerous offender, which would have kept him behind bars for an indeterminate sentence. The Crown also brought an application to designate Barkhadle a long-term offender, which would have come with strict supervision once he was released into the community. Perkins-McVey also denied that application.