Michael Rafferty, one of two people charged in the death of eight-year-old Tori Stafford, will plead not guilty, one of his lawyers says.
Dirk Derstine said Friday his client will return to court Sept. 25 and "will certainly be pleading not guilty."
Scott Reid, another lawyer for Rafferty, had previously suggested that the accused would be pleading not guilty.
Rafferty, 28, is being held in a London, Ontario detention facility. He appeared in court via video link on Friday.
He and co-accused Terri-Lynne McClintic, 19, are each charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping.
Tori was last seen leaving her school in Woodstock, west of Hamilton, on April 8.
Surveillance video showed her being led away by a woman in a white coat.
Tori's remains were found in late July in a wooded area near the community of Mount Forest, north of Woodstock, about two months after Rafferty and McClintic were arrested.
Rafferty's lawyer said there's an enormous amount of evidence to go through before the case can proceed, and he doesn't expect the trial to begin until 2011.
With files from Canadian Press
