A 19-year-old man accused of kidnapping a Clayton County girl in September pleaded not guilty on Monday.
Christopher Joseph Atkins of Atlanta appeared in front of a U.S. Magistrate judge in Atlanta, hours after he was arrested for his alleged role in the kidnapping of 14-year-old Ayvani Hope Perez, an incident that made national headlines.
Atkins was indicted last month on kidnapping and gun charges with Tony Graves and Wildrego Jackson, who both were arrested within a month of the incident.
On the morning of Sept. 17, a pair of armed intruders forced their way into the home near Ellenwood where Perez lived with her younger brother, her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, authorities said.
They demanded money and jewelry, then fatally shot the family dog before taking Perez.
Federal prosecutors say Jackson, Graves and Atkins later made repeated phone calls to her family demanding ransom.
Perez was released on Sept. 18, police said.
Atkins will be back in court Thursday for a detention hearing that will determine if he gets bond.
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