By Dan Hust
MONTICELLO — The accused killer of Hankins native Elizabeth Mucci was indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday. He pled not guilty.
According to District Attorney Jim Farrell, 22-year-old Lars Ryder of Monticello is facing one count of murder in the second degree and two counts of forgery in the second degree, all felonies.
He’s accused of killing Mucci, 31, on April 26, then attempting to burn her body. The indictment also alleges that Ryder dismembered Mucci and disposed of her body parts in locations around the county.
Farrell would not detail those locations, though sources have previously confirmed that Mucci’s leg was found in the Swinging Bridge Reservoir earlier this year.
The indictment also alleges that Ryder used Mucci’s credit card at the Monticello Wal-Mart twice after her death: once to purchase around $34 of cleaning supplies, and once to buy about $15-$20 worth of beer, said Farrell.
Ryder was arrested by the NY State Police on May 13 and is facing trial next year, said Farrell. If convicted, he could be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
He was arraigned yesterday in Sullivan County Court and remanded back to the county jail without bail.
Ryder’s attorney, Henri Shawn, declined to comment on the case when reached on Wednesday.