The man accused of killing Jeanine Harms of Los Gatos may finally
enter a plea March 21 to murder charges in connection with the
four-year-old case.
Maurice Nasmeh, a 40-year-old architect, appeared in court
briefly on Friday. He has been held without bail in Santa Clara
County Jail since his arrest Dec. 16.
Previous hearings to enter a plea had been continued while Nasmeh
hired attorneys.
On Friday, the court was informed he will be represented by Tony
Serra, the flamboyant San Francisco attorney, and Dan Jensen of San
Jose.
The March 21 hearing also will include a request for bail for
Nasmeh.
Nasmeh made no comment during his brief appearance in court and
has not talked to the media since his arrest.
But outside the courtroom on Friday, Nasmeh's mother, Doris
Bliven of Cupertino, said she has no doubts about her son.
``He's innocent, I'm positive of that,'' Bliven said. ``And I'm
sure that justice will be served in this case.''
Harms disappeared July 27, 2001, after a late-night date with
Nasmeh. She met him at a bar and invited him to her home. Her body
has never been found.
Friends and relatives of Harms who attended the Friday hearing
said they were frustrated by the delays.
``We just want some closure to this,'' said her aunt Lucy
Crumpton. ``Her parents are in their late 70s and they'd like to
find her body so we can bury her.''