Wife of Long Island pharmacy shooting suspect pleads not guilty

(CBS/AP) RIVERHEAD, N.Y. - A woman accused of driving the getaway car after her husband's alleged execution-style murders at a Long Island, N.Y. pharmacy last month pleaded not guilty to an upgraded robbery charge Tuesday.

Melinda Brady, 29, was arraigned on first-degree robbery, which carries up to 25 years in prison if she's convicted. She was previously charged with third-degree robbery.

Brady told investigators that she and her husband, David Laffer, plotted the Father's Day robbery in Medford, N.Y. that killed four, but that she did not know the plan involved killing.

Brady blamed her husband when she was led from police headquarters to a nearby precinct holding cell following her arrest last month.

"He was doing it because he lost his job and I was sick," Brady said. "He did it. He did all of this."

She had previously posted messages on a website discussing her struggles with painkillers.

Laffer, 33, faces first-degree murder charges for allegedly murdering two pharmacy employees and two customers at close range on June 19.

Police say he then stuffed a backpack with painkillers; more than 1,000 were allegedly confiscated from the couple's home when they were arrested three days after the killings.

Complete coverage of the Long Island pharmacy murders on Crimesider