BURLEY, Idaho — The man accused in a decades-old murder case was formally charged with first-degree murder on Thursday.
56-year-old Gilberto Flores Rodriguez made his first appearance in a Burley courtroom just a day after the Cassia County Sheriff's Office announced a break in the 1995 murder of 14-year-old Regina Krieger.
The teen disappeared in February 1995, just days before her 15th birthday. Her body was found in the Snake River two months later.
Rodriguez entered a not guilty plea during his court appearance, as several of his family members looked on.
According to prosecutors, he killed Regina on or about February 28, 1995, by cutting her throat and stabbing her in the chest.
In an interview with KTVB Wednesday, Regina's mom said she was "so happy" to hear about an arrest in the case after waiting so many years.
Rodriguez is being held without bond in the Cassia County Jail. He is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on March 1.