ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Three teenagers indicted in the beating deaths of two sleeping homeless men in Albuquerque have pleaded not guilty.
The teens entered their pleas Friday and were ordered held on $1 million cash-only bond.
The 15- and 16-year-old suspects were charged as serious youthful offenders and indicted on first-degree murder charges. They will be tried alongside 18-year-old Alex Rios in adult court.
Rios and the two younger suspects are accused of attacking three homeless men as they slept in a vacant lot and beating them to death with cinderblocks, a metal pole and other items.
The two men who died were Native American, but police say there's no indication the teens sought out the victims based on race.
If convicted, all three defendants could face up to life in prison.
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