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NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. — Two Providence, R.I., residents indicted June 22 on murder charges in the slaying of a Worcester man at the Northborough Motel 6 pleaded not guilty today in Worcester Superior Court.
Lara Cori, 22 — a former Westborough resident — and James Howze, 19, were charged with the murder of 19-year-old Joseph Webster of 104 Brattle St., Worcester.
Howze also pleaded not guilty to a charge of larceny of a motor vehicle — Webster's Cadillac.
Webster, who was diabetic and autistic, did not return home March 13. Police believe he was staying with Cori at the Northborough Motel 6. Police allege that Cori is a prostitute, according to court records.
Video surveillance showed Howze and Cori arriving at the motel with Webster on the evening of March 13 and leaving without him in his Cadillac soon after. Police say the pair later tried to sell the Cadillac in Rhode Island for $2,000, and police arrested them in Colonie, N.Y., on March 21 after discovering blood in the motel room's rug.
A Rhode Island State Police K-9 unit found Webster's body in a storage container April 3 on Weslyan Street in Providence, not far from the apartment shared by the two suspects. They faced murder charges in Westborough District Court on April 5.
The two are being held without bail. They are due back in court for a pre-trial hearing Aug. 28.
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