Ferrer jury trial set Aug 4

◼ All three defendants were arraigned, they did not waive time. - John Chiv/Words Worth

◼ Suspects plead not guilty in death of Arcata chef; trial date set - Will Houston/Times-Standard

Arcata resident Juan Joseph Ferrer pleaded not guilty during a brief arraignment hearing on Tuesday to the charge of murder in connection with last year's fatal stabbing of an Arcata chef....

The two other suspects in the case — Sophie Buttercup Rocheleau, 24, and Nicholas Benjamin Stoiber, 28 — were also present in the courtroom, and stood before the bench during the proceeding. Rocheleau is accused of shoving Anderson-Jordet and kicking him while he was on the ground, while Stoiber is accused of punching Anderson-Jordet in the face after Ferrer allegedly stabbed him.

Representing Stoiber in place of Deputy Public Defender Jennifer Dixon, Public Defender Kevin Robinson said Stoiber pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of assault likely to produce great bodily harm and asked that the trial dates be set. Rocheleau's attorney Benjamin Okin said his client was entering a not guilty plea for a felony assault charge....

All three suspects will return to court on July 7 for a pretrial hearing, July 14 for a trial confirmation hearing and Aug. 4 for a jury trial.