A man accused of killing a St. Augustine, Fla., priest in April pleaded not guilty.

Steven Murray, 28, is accused of killing Father Rene Robert, 71, after taking him from St. Augustine to Burke County. Murray entered a not-guilty plea at a Burke County courthouse Friday.

Murray previously admitted to killing Robert after kidnapping him and stealing his money, according to multiple media reports.

Murray, from Aiken, S.C., was arrested after crashing Robert’s car and leading police on a manhunt from Florida to Georgia.

Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.

Murray was moved to the Clayton County Detention Center in June. The county agreed to take him after the sheriff in Burke County requested he be confined elsewhere.

A motion was filed Friday asking for him to be transferred back to Burke County while awaiting trial, the Augusta Chronicle reported. The next hearing will be Dec. 2.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (center) is flanked by GOP whip Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (left) and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, as Thune speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earlier Tuesday, the Senate passed the budget reconciliation package of President Donald Trump's signature bill of big tax breaks and spending cuts. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

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