SAN DIEGO -- A diagnosed schizophrenic who was homeless and living in North County when 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe was stabbed to death in her Escondido home four years ago pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder charges.

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Everyone Agrees Case Is Far From Over

Richard Raymond Tuite, 33, was clean-shaven and slight, and appeared confused as he stood before Superior Court Judge David Szumowski, in sharp contrast to media images of the defendant over the past four years.

Defense attorney Brad Patton, who was appointed by the county of San Diego, said he met with Tuite Wednesday and found him "very cooperative. A nice young man."

Tuite is charged with one count of murder and an allegation that he used a knife in the commission of that crime. He faces a sentence of up to 27 years to life in state prison if convicted.

Szumowski ordered Tuite held without bail and set a status conference for June 10. No preliminary hearing date was set.

Witnesses said they saw Tuite in the area of the Crowe residence on the night of Jan. 20, 1998. Family members found Stephanie Crowe's body the next morning.

The victim's 14-year-old brother, Michael, and two friends originally were charged with her murder, after two of them "confessed" to the killing.

In 1999, a judge ruled that most of the admissions were coerced by Escondido police and said they were inadmissible at trial.

DNA retesting revealed that three stains of the victim's blood were found on one sleeve of a filthy sweatshirt Tuite was wearing at the time of murder.

Authorities had said Tuite was too clumsy, confused and mentally unstable to have committed the crime and left the house without leaving any evidence behind.

At the district attorney's request, Superior Court Judge John Thompson dismissed the cases against the boys.

Stephen and Cheryl Crowe filed a federal lawsuit against the county and other agencies, claiming their civil rights were violated because authorities ignored evidence that pointed to Tuite as the killer.

Jill Crowe, who is married to Stephen Crowe's brother, said justice should now be done.

"Well, people are angry ... but they're more sad. It's really sad," she said.

The woman remembered Stephanie as a "sparkling joy."

"She was a little girl who cared more about the community and her fellow people than anybody I've ever met in my life," Jill Crowe told reporters.

The case was later transferred to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and the state Attorney General's Office.

Tuite, who was set to be released from prison Friday, was arrested and charged Wednesday with the 7th-grader's murder.

The defendant has a history of drug abuse and mostly nonviolent crimes, authorities said.

In order to present the case, prosecutors will have to tell a jury that authorities first charged Michael Crowe, Joshua Treadway and Aaron Houser with Stephanie's murder, said Deputy Attorney General David Druliner.

"We anticipate that that evidence will be presented," the prosecutor said outside court. "It is what it is. It's the evidence in the case."

Druliner said Tuite's trial -- whenever it begins - could last up to six months.

"This is a difficult case," the prosecutor said. "It will last a long time."