Michael Plumadore pleads not guilty to murder of 9-year-old Ind. girl

(CBS/AP) FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Michael Plumadore, who is charged with murder in the death of 9-year-old Aliahna Lemmon, pleaded not guilty at an initial hearing Wednesday morning.

Plumadore, 39, is accused of bludgeoning and dismembering Lemmon on Dec. 22, after her sick mother had entrusted the girl to his care. 

The Journal Gazette reports that Plumadore, in a striped jail jumpsuit, ignored questions from the media as he left the Allen County Courthouse.

According to a police affidavit, Plumadore told police he repeatedly hit Aliahna Lemmon in the head with a brick, then chopped up her body with a hack saw, eventually stashing her some of her body parts in his trailer and the rest nearby.

He was charged Friday with murder, abuse of a corpse and removing a dead body from the scene.

When Allen Superior Court Magistrate Samuel Keirns asked Plumadore whether he understood the charges and proceedings, Plumadore answered each question with "yes, sir."

The standard prison sentence for a murder conviction in Indiana is 45 to 65 years.

The victim's family said they had considered the suspect a trusted family friend, and he had been caring for Aliahna and her 6-year-old sisters when their mother had the flu. Aliahna had been dead for more than 24 hours before she was reported missing.

Authorities are still continuing to investigate the murder and the results of the autopsy are pending.

A trial date for Plumadore will be set for Jan. 18. He is being held without bail.

Complete coverage of the Aliahna Lemmon murder on Crimesider