Suspect charged with murder in Japanese student's death pleads not guilty

A man charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a human bodyin connection with the death of a Japanese student in Vancouver has pleaded not guilty.

Balding and wearing a collared shirt, William Victor Schneider quietly madehis pleas Monday morning in front of a jury in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.

Schneider, 51, was arrested in Vernon, B.C., on Sept. 28, 2016 the same day police found the body of Natsumi Kogawa in a mansion in Vancouver's West End.

Kogawa, 30, had been missing for two weeks. A police dog found her bodyinside a suitcase leaning on some shrubs outsideGabriola Mansion, a historic building on Davie Street.

After the Schneider'snot-guilty plea, prosecutor GeordieProulxexplained the case he planned to present against the suspect during the trial.

Missing persons case

The 30-year-old had been studying English in Vancouver on a student visa.

Friends last heard from Kogawaon Sept. 8. Proulx said she'dplanned to meet a friend to talk about a potential job at a restaurant, but never showed up.

Her disappearance spurreda high-profile missing persons campaign.

Police tracked her movements and found surveillance video of Kogawawith a man, later identified as Schneider, walking through Vancouver's Harbour Centre Mall.

A still photo from the footage was releasedto the media on Sept. 27. Proulxsaid Schneider's brother recognized him on the tape and phoned police.

Suspect led police to body,Crown says

The prosecutor said Schneider had been living in a Vancouver hostel for 51 days around the time of his arrestand had spoken to hostel staff about meeting a Japanese woman before suddenly leaving onSept. 21, 2016.

The Crown said after his arrest Schneider told police where to find the suitcase containing Kogawa's body.

Court heard an autopsy revealed no obvious trauma, though her liver showed signs of an undetermined quantity ofsedative drugs zopicloneandlorazepam.

Kogawa didn't have a prescription for either drug, but Proulxsaid Schneider had past prescriptions for lorazepam.

The prosecutor said forensic experts founddecomposition was too advanced to determine the exact cause of Kogawa's death.

Schneider's trial is scheduled to continue into October.

With files from Yvette Brend

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