Not guilty plea for man accused in Ind. girl’s death


January 4, 2012 at 9:18a.m.

Not guilty plea for man accused in Ind. girl’s death

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — A northern Indiana magistrate has entered a not guilty plea for a man accused of killing and dismembering a 9-year-old girl and hiding some of her remains in his trailer.

Allen Superior Court Magistrate Samuel Keirns advised 39-year-old Michael Plumadore of his legal rights, including his right to an attorney, during today’s initial hearing in Fort Wayne. Keirns said he would assign a public defender for Plumadore, who said he understood the charges against him.

Plumadore was charged Friday with murder, abuse of a corpse and removing a dead body from the scene in the Dec. 22 death of Aliahna Maroney-Lemmon. Relatives say they had considered Plumadore a trusted family friend.

A probable cause affidavit says Plumadore beat Aliahna with a brick. Authorities have declined comment on a possible motive.