Pair plead not guilty in slaying of University of Kentucky student

Two men charged with murder in the death of University of Kentucky student Jonathan Krueger pleaded not guilty Thursday afternoon in Fayette Circuit Court.

In addition to murder, Efrain Diaz Jr. and Justin Smith were charged with two counts of first-degree robbery. Smith also was charged with tampering with evidence and fleeing police.

Krueger and Aaron Gillette were walking down East Maxwell Street on April 17 when Diaz, Smith and Roman Gonzalez Jr. allegedly decided to rob Krueger and Gillette. Krueger was fatally shot, but Gillette was able to get away.

Neither Diaz nor Smith requested a pretrial hearing. Their status hearings are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. July 31.

Gonzalez, 17, also was charged with murder and two counts of first-degree robbery. He being tried as an adult, and his arraignment is set for 10:30 a.m. July 10.

This story was originally published July 2, 2015 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Pair plead not guilty in slaying of University of Kentucky student."