Accused killer pleads not guilty

NORWALK — A man charged in connection with a decade-old murder case pleaded not guilty Tuesday in the Huron County Common Pleas Court.Joshua Stamm, 36, of Titusville, Fla., faces charges of aggravated robbery and two counts of murder, each with a firearm specification.His arraignment was postponed at his initial appearance last month because he didn't want to enter a plea until he retained counsel. Stamm chose Cleveland attorneys Steven Bradley and Mark Marein as his counsel.At his rescheduled arraignment Monday, he appeared with both of his attorneys and special prosecutor Margaret Tomaro with the Ohio Attorney General's Office represented the state of Ohio.Judge James Conway set Stamm's pretrial for May 23, the final pretrial for June 26 and the jury trial for July 17. If found guilty of murder, Stamm could face 15 years to life in prison.Stamm is held in the Huron County jail without bond since he is on a detainer from Florida where he was sentenced to three years in prison for possession of a firearm under a disability and carrying a concealed firearm.The local charges against Stamm originated from the 2003 disappearance of Michael Sheppard Jr. The Ohio Attorney General's office took over the case in 2009.The investigation led authorities to believe Sheppard was murdered in a drug dispute in Huron County, but his body remains missing to this day.Last May, along with Stamm, a grand jury indicted Scott Hall, 44, of Clyde and Adam White, 34, of Sandusky, on the same charges as Stamm for the alleged murder.Hall and White both pleaded not guilty to the charges last year, but their cases were delayed until Stamm could be extradited from Florida.Reach reporter Michael Harrington at michaelharrington@sanduskyregister.com, follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterJoshua Stamm (center) appears at the Huron County Common Pleas Court Tuesday, April 10 with his attorneys Mark Marein (left) and Steven Bradley (right).