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Suspect says he's not guilty of murder By CHRIS BRISTOL A Phoenix man accused of fatally kicking another man and leaving his body in an orchard has pleaded not guilty. Michael Edwin Terry, 29, appeared Wednesday before Jackson County Judge Patricia Crain on murder and car theft charges handed down last week by a grand jury. He is accused of killing Kevin Steven Elkin. The indictment also includes two new charges: felony fourth-degree assault and misdemeanor fourth-degree assault. According to prosecutor Beth Heckert, the assault charges stem from a domestic altercation Oct. 29 between Terry and his girlfriend. The woman's 6-year-old daughter was present, making it a felony. Authorities allege the murder occurred two days later on Oct. 31. Without elaborating, Heckert said the victim knew Terry and his girlfriend. Terry's arrest last week capped an intensive six-day investigation that began Nov. 3 when a worker at the Crystal Springs Orchard found the body. An autopsy revealed Elkin, 39, died from "blunt-force trauma" to the head. The murder charge alleges Terry kicked the victim. Authorities believe Terry stole Elkin's yellow Camaro and then abandoned it a half-mile away after crashing into a ditch. It sat there a couple of days and was stolen again, they say. A 20-year-old Medford man and a 16-year-old boy were later arrested on charges of car theft. However, authorities say the pair are not suspected in the murder case. According to court records, Terry pleaded guilty to a drug charge the day after Elkin's body was discovered. A judge put him on probation and ordered 40 hours of community service. Terry also had two recent convictions for domestic violence involving his girlfriend, who obtained a restraining order against him last year. At the time, she said Terry was using methamphetamine. He remains lodged in the Jackson County Jail without bail. His court-appointed attorney waived the 60-day "speedy trial" rule. Crain set a pre-trial hearing for Nov. 29. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA