The two suspects in the shooting death of junior Karl Harford pleaded not guilty to murder, robbery resulting in serious bodily injury and conspiracy to commit robbery resulting in serious bodily injury during an initial hearing Monday.
Brandon Patterson, 18, and Damien Sanders, 22, appeared separately in Delaware County Circuit Court Five for Judge Wayne Lennington.
If convicted for murder, each suspect could spend up to 65 years in prison and another 20 to 50 years for each robbery charge, according to NewsLink Indiana.
Both suspects are being held without bond.
Patterson is being represented by public defender Jeff Rivers, and Sanders is represented by Alan Wilson and Ross Rowland. Wilson would not comment about his client.
The third suspect, a 14-year-old juvenile, is being charged with assisting a criminal. Muncie Deputy Police Chief Terry Winters said prosecutors are trying to have the juvenile tried as an adult. An initial hearing has been set for April 7 to see how the juvenile will be tried.
Delaware County Prosecutor Judi Calhoun told NewsLink that the charges against the juvenile could be changed to murder and robbery.
Harford, a resident of Carmel, was found dead in the back seat of his car March 7 in an alley behind 1923 E. Hines Rd. The three suspects, whom Harford met at a house party on Abbott Street, robbed Harford of $2 before shooting him in the head, Chief of Police Joe Winkle said.
Patterson and the juvenile were arrested March 8 after Patterson turned himself in to the Muncie police.
U.S. marshals arrested Sanders at a Days Inn motel in Indianapolis on Thursday after Muncie police received a tip on his whereabouts, Winters said.
Sanders gave a video statement to police after his arrest, but the details of the tape are not being released, Winters said.
A woman who allowed Sanders to stay in a motel room under her name has also been arrested, Winters said. The woman is being charged with assisting a criminal.
Winkle said he could not say who shot Harford, but according to an affidavit, Patterson said he was not the one who killed him.
Sanders is scheduled to have a pretrial conference on Sept. 21 and a jury trial on Oct. 4.
Patterson's pretrial conference is set for Aug. 31 and jury trial on Sept. 13.
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