SOUTHAMPTON man James Russell today denied the murder of a man found dead on a city footpath.
Russell, 37, of Golden Grove, St Mary's, appeared at Winchester Crown Court to deny the allegation that he murdered Nicholas Beattie, aged 32.
Mr Beattie was found on a path in Golden Grove on March 20.
Wearing a blue, black and blue striped jumper, Russell spoke only to confirm his name and deny the charge in a 10-minute hearing.
Patrick Upward QC, defending, asked for the hearing to be adjourned as he is still waiting for reports to give a cause of death.
Mr Upward said Mr Beattie had very high levels of morphine in his body.
The defence has asked for a second post-mortem to be carried out, the court heard.
A two-week trial is due to be held at Winchester in March 2016.
The Recorder of Winchester, Judge Keith Cutler, adjourned for a plea and case management hearing on September 21.
Russell was remanded in custody.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article