A 66-year-old immigrant farm worker accused of killing seven co-workers in a mass shooting last month near San Francisco pleaded not guilty on Thursday to premeditated murder charges, Courthouse News reported.
Chunli Zhao, a Chinese citizen and lone suspect in the Januar 23 massacre at two mushroom farms in the seaside town of Half Moon Bay, entered his plea to all charges through an interpreter in San Mateo County Superior Court in nearby Redwood City, according to Courthouse News.
The judge set the next hearing in the case for May 3, Courthouse News said.
Zhao was charged with seven counts of premeditated murder and a single count of attempted murder in a 10-page criminal complaint that also alleges "special circumstances," accusing Zhao of "personally and intentionally" shooting to kill.