Two plead not guilty to USC Chinese student killings
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two men pleaded not guilty Wednesday to killing a pair of Chinese graduate students who were gunned down in a car near the University of Southern California.
The defendants were chastised by the judge at one point for smiling and talking to each other during the hearing.
The long-delayed arraignment of Bryan Barnes, 20, Javier Bolden, 19, cleared the way for further proceedings in the murder case that drew international attention.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prosecutors haven't decided whether to seek the death penalty.
The men are charged with the April 11 shooting of engineering students Ming Qu and Ying Wu in a car a mile from campus.
Prosecutors believe the killings took place during a robbery.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Barnes and Bolden also are charged with attempted murder in unrelated attacks.
A friend of Wu and Qu who attended the hearing told reporters that she had some sympathy for the defendants' families.
"I also feel sad for them `cause they also kind of lost their son. ... It's going to be sad for four families," Julia Liu said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The families of the two slain students have filed a wrongful death suit against USC.
Public defenders representing the two men sought a gag order, complaining that police and the district attorney's office have been releasing too much information about the case. The judge did not address the matter.