Man pleads not guilty to killing Iowa coach
Becker, 24, demands speedy trial in death of legendary football coach
 AP | Mark Becker remains in the Cerro Gordo County jail on $1 million cash bond. |
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updated 1:45 p.m. ET July 6, 2009
PARKERSBURG, Iowa - The man accused of killing an Iowa high school football coach has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
Coach Ed Thomas was fatally shot on June 24 in a weight room in front of about 20 students at Aplington-Parkersburg High School in northeast Iowa.
Mark Becker, a former player, pleaded not guilty in a written plea on Thursday.
Online court records show that Becker demanded a speedy trial, which means he will have to stand trial within 90 days. No trial date was immediately set.
Becker, 24, remains in the Cerro Gordo County jail on $1 million cash bond.
Thomas coached for 34 years in the community about 80 miles northeast of Des Moines and had guided several players to the NFL.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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