SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) - The man accused of killing 29-year-old Omar Medina, whose body was found floating inside a 55-gallon drum in San Diego Bay, pleaded not guilty on Friday.
Prosecutors said 52-year-old Timothy Cook stabbed Medina 66 times.
Cook and Derrick Jefferson Spurgeon, 38, of El Cajon were arrested on Wednesday.What led investigators to them, remains unclear.
Spurgeon faces an accessory after the fact charge for allegedly helping dispose of the body.
Deputy District Attorney Cherie Somerville didn't reveal how the three men are connected to each other or a motive, but she did say Spurgeon is involved with drugs - importing them into the U.S. from Mexico.
Investigators assigned to the case also served search warrants at a pair of residences on Rios Canyon Road in El Cajon and McIntosh Street in Chula Vista Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page was posted online for Timothy Cook by someone identifying themselves as his niece and proclaiming his innocence
She wrote, in part:
Yes, my uncle is an ex con. Yes, my uncle has been to prison. However, his past does NOT define his future.
He admits he's done wrong in his past and he has taken full responsibility for those actions. There is no way on this earth that he would've done something to land him back in prison.
She asked the public give money for his legal bills. The $11,000 goal was at $0 as of Thursday morning. The page has since been removed.
Cook has an extensive criminal history and is being held without bail.