By Khalida Sarwari
A Live Oak man accused of killing his roommate pleaded not guilty to murder today.
Louis Nicholas “Nick” Kusalich, 49, was arrested at his father’s Soquel home on Oct. 1 in connection with the murder of 51-year-old Robert Burr. Prosecutor Charles Baum said Kusalich had climbed into a tree and threatened to kill himself.
Burr was found on Sept. 28 in a wooded area off of Laurel Glen Road in the Soquel area of Santa Cruz County.
Investigators believe that sometime between the night of Sept. 25 and the morning of Sept. 26, Kusalich killed Burr at a home the two shared on Koopmans Avenue in Live Oak and then took Burr to the spot where his body was discovered.
Baum would not comment on the details of the murder or the motive behind it.
On Oct. 20 a judge will set a preliminary hearing date for Kusalich, who is still in custody on a $750,000 bail. Baum said he expects the preliminary hearing to begin sometime in November or December.