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South Florida Man Says He Didn't Kill FSU Professor

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — One of the two men accused of killing a Florida State University professor is pleading not guilty to the charges.

Sigfredo Garcia appeared in a Leon County court on Friday as his attorney sought his release on bail until trial. A grand jury last week indicted Garcia and Luis Rivera on first-degree murder charges in the July 2014 shooting of Daniel Markel.

Police have said Rivera and Garcia came to Tallahassee from South Florida as part of a plot to kill Markel. Authorities have suggested the scheme was sparked by a bitter divorce between the professor and his ex-wife.

Garcia attorney Jim Lewis asserted in court there isn't enough evidence to connect his client to the crime.

The lead prosecutor said the state would seek the death penalty against Garcia.

The Associated Press is a wire service to which WUFT News subscribes.