Trial date set for accused man

MARTINSVILLE -- A Morgan County judge Tuesday entered a preliminary plea of "not guilty" for the man accused of murdering IU sophomore Jill Behrman six years ago.\nJudge Christopher L. Burnham set a Sept. 18 date for the jury trial of John R. Myers II, 30, in Morgan County Superior Court.\nMyers sat quietly with an attorney hired by his family, Patrick Baker of Indianapolis, as prosecutor Steven Sonnega read the indictment. Myers faces a sentence of 40 years to life in prison without parole or the death penalty if convicted. Sonnega would not say whether he would pursue capital punishment. \nPolice arrested Myers in Ellettsville Sunday after a grand jury indicted him after interviewing more than 90 witnesses in four weeks. \nBurnham remanded Myers to the Morgan County Sheriff without bail because of to the serious nature of the charge against him, Burnham said. \nMyers' name in the Behrman case is relatively new to the public. Before the announcement of his arrest Tuesday, the media had not reported that he was a suspect. However, Indiana State Police Detective Rick Lang said his investigation pointed to Myers since December 2004.\nLawyers were tight-lipped about the case against Myers, and many of the details of the grand jury investigation remain sealed.\nBehrman disappeared May 31, 2000, after leaving her Bloomington home for a morning bicycle ride. Extensive searches of the surrounding area found only Behrman's abandoned bicycle. In March 2003, hunters found Behrman's skeletal remains in woods near Paragon, Ind., in rural Morgan County.\nJill Behrman's parents, Eric and Marilyn, said at a press conference Monday that they believe Myers killed their daughter.\nBaker, who said he has not seen a transcript of witness testimony to the grand jury, said he had little information about the strength of the case against his client.\nThe next public court date is May 15 at 2 p.m.