LONG BEACH (CBS) —  A man accused of killing three people in Long Beach and South Gate in 2001 and 2002 pleaded not guilty Monday to murder charges.

Juan Pablo Camacho, 33, is accused of shooting Richard Murillo, 30, and Murillo’s girlfriend, Carrie Waltier, 33, in October 2001.

Richard Graves, 32, was found dead on May 19, 2002, after police responded to a call of shots fired in the 300 block of East Esther Street in Long Beach.

Camacho was linked to Waltier’s slaying after DNA evidence was submitted to a private lab for testing under a National Institute of Justice grant to solve cold-case homicides, Long Beach police announced in January.

Camacho was in federal custody in Plattsburgh, N.Y., in connection with his arrest on weapons charges and illegal entry into the United States. He was about to be deported to Mexico when he was charged with the murders.

He has since been returned to Los Angeles County.

Camacho is due back in Long Beach Superior Court on March 11, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial.

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