SIDNEY, Mont. (AP) — Two men suspected in the abduction and apparent killing of Montana teacher Sherry Arnold have pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated kidnapping.
Forty-seven-year old Lester Van Waters Jr. and 22-year-old Michael Keith Spell were arraigned Tuesday in state district court in Arnold’s hometown of Sidney, near the North Dakota border.
The 43-year-old math teacher disappeared during a morning run on Jan. 7.
Spell has allegedly told investigators that he grabbed Arnold as she was jogging along a city street and that Waters choked her to death.
State District Judge Katherine Irigoin set separate five-day trials for the men to begin in July.
Despite Spell’s alleged efforts to lead authorities to Arnold’s grave site, her body has not been found.
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Banda reported from Parachute, Colo.
