A man charged with killing a Temple University student has rejected a deal from prosecutors to plead guilty to murder in exchange for a 30 to 60-year prison sentence.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Joshua Hupperterz told a judge Monday he instead wants to continue to trial, where he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison if convicted.
Hupperterz is accused of killing 22-year-old Jenna Burleigh at his home in August 2017 and taking her body in a storage bin to his grandmother's house in the Poconos, about 140 miles north of Philadelphia.
A coroner found Burleigh died of blunt-force trauma and strangulation.
An attorney for Hupperterz says he maintains his innocence.
His trial is set to begin Jan. 7.
Copyright The Associated Press