Milford High School Murder Suspect, Christopher Plaskon, 16, Pleads Not Guilty

Christopher Plaskon, 16, who is accused of fatally stabbing Jonathan Law Junior Class President Maren Sanchez, 16, pleaded not guilty to a murder charge Wednesday morning, the Hartford Courant reported. 

Plaskon during the brief hearing held in Superior Court, Milford, waived his right to a probable cause hearing, the Courant reported. Plaskon also requested a trial before a three judge panel instead of a jury of his peers, the Courant reports. 

The New Haven Register’s Phyllis Swebilius tweeted that Plaskon’s attorney said his client is on medication for anxiety and psychosis but is lucid. 

Plaskon’s attorney Richard T. Meehan has said Plaskon is “ill” after his last court date. He is being held on $3 million bond. He has remained on suicide watch since his incarceration. During the press conference, Meehan told the media that doctors “indicate (Plaskon) is ill.”

“I do believe he is sick,” Meehan has said of Plaskon. “There are signs of active psychosis.”

He has declined to comment on whether the defense will seek an insanity defense.

Milford State’s Attorney Kevin Lawlor has pledged to fully prosecute the individual who committed this crime and to ensure they are “punished appropriately.”

Since the Sanchez tragedy, the Milford community has rallied together as thousands attended a city-wide vigil in her memory. More than 1,000 people attended Sanchez’s wake.