JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Neptune Beach teen pleaded not guilty Monday morning to a murder charge in the shooting and stabbing death of his grandmother.
Logan Mott, 15, stands accused of killing Kristina French, concealing her body in a shallow grave and driving her car to the Canadian border.
Mott is charged with second-degree murder, which means authorities suspect the killing was not premeditated, and grand theft auto in connection with French's death.
The teen stood before a judge at Monday's hearing, wearing jail garb and handcuffs. He did not speak, but his attorney, Public Defender Charlie Cofer, entered the pleas on his behalf.
During the hearing, the judge agreed to let the state collect DNA from Mott for evidence, which is standard procedure. Mott is due in court next month and the trial date was set for May 1.
In addition, Mott will be represented by Dominic Saraceno, the attorney who took his case for free when he was arrested, as well as a guardian ad litem, an attorney who will advocate for Mott.
"He [Saraceno] had developed a strong relationship with the child in the extradition process up in New York," said Cofer. "Felt committed to see it through."
Police said Mott repeatedly stabbed and shot French, 53, then buried her in his yard before leaving town in her Dodge Dart last month.
French was looking after Mott while his father was on vacation. The pair was reported missing Nov. 22 after Mott's father returned to find his home ransacked and empty.
Eric Mott, the teen's father and a Jacksonville Sheriff's corrections officer, reported several guns, including his service weapons, were taken from the home.
Days later, police disclosed they had found a body, later identified as French, buried in the home's backyard. The younger Mott was captured that night by border agents near Buffalo, New York.
Prosecutors said three firearms -- including two service weapons that belong to Mott's father -- and a bloody knife were found inside French's car when her grandson was arrested.
Cofer declined to comment on the items seized at the time of his client's arrest, saying, "I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment on the evidence through the course of the litigation."
Mott was initially charged only with stealing French's car. Then a judge signed an arrest warrant Nov. 28 charging the teen with murder in his grandmother's death.
Currently, Mott is being held in isolation, housed in a 90-square-foot cell at the Duval County jail, where his father holds the rank of lieutenant.
Mott, an insulin-dependent diabetic, is allowed one hour of recreation daily, but authorities said he does that alone.
Carrie Campbell-Mott, Mott's mother who lives in Missouri, has expressed concern over how her son is being treated by the Sheriff's Office.