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CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP) -- A man accused in the fatal bludgeoning of a group home counselor has pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated murder and several related counts.
Sean Graham, 19, of Rockville, Md., was arraigned Tuesday in 5th District Court. He also pleaded not guilty to aggravated kidnapping, vehicle theft and theft.
On March 8, 2004, Maximum Life Skills Academy counselor Anson Arnett was hit in the head with a baseball bat and locked upside down in a closet. Arnett died a day later in a Salt Lake City hospital.
Graham and Jesse Simmons of Wilmington, Del., both 17 at the time, fled in a group home van and were arrested in Las Vegas.
In May 2005, Simmons pleaded guilty to first-degree felony murder in a plea agreement and was sentenced to five years to life in prison.
Aggravated murder is a capital crime, but the Iron County attorney's office said it would not seek the death penalty in the case against Graham because he was 17 at the time of the crime.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
