Man Pleads Not Guilty To Raping, Killing Daughter

MODESTO, Calif. (AP) -- A Central California man has pleaded not guilty to charges that he raped and murdered his 14-year-old daughter, then buried her in a backyard.

Mark Mesiti entered the plea Monday during his arraignment in Stanislaus County Superior Court on 45 felony counts, including murder and rape.

Prosecutors say the 43-year-old man killed his daughter, Alycia, less than a year after a judge placed the girl in his care. Mesiti gained custody despite his long criminal history and reports that he neglected his children.

Authorities say that when Alycia disappeared in 2006, Mesiti claimed she had run away. In March 2009, cadaver-sniffing dogs found her body buried in the yard of his former home in Ceres.

Mesiti is being held without bail. His pretrial hearing is set for Aug. 1.

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