N.Y. Man Pleads Not Guilty To Strangling Md. Cornell Student
ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) -- A 32-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to strangling his Cornell-student girlfriend on Thanksgiving Day.
The Ithaca Journal reports that Benjamin Cayea pleaded not guilty Friday in Tompkins County Court in the death of 23-year-old Shannon Jones, of Potomac, Maryland.
Authorities said Jones' body was found in Cayea's apartment in Cayuga Heights, New York, near the Cornell campus.
Cayea was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
Cayea's attorney, Matt Van Houten, said there are "more layers" to what happened than the district attorney's office has alleged.
Van Houten asked Tompkins County Judge Joseph Cassidy to release Cayea on bail.
But Cassidy remanded Cayea back to jail.
He instructed Van Houten to submit a formal bail application but said bail will be very high if it is allowed.
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Information from: The Ithaca Journal, http://www.theithacajournal.com
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