Wichita ? Attorney General Paul Morrison on Monday filed notice of the state’s intent to seek the death penalty against a man accused of kidnapping, raping and murdering a Cowley College student in January.

Justin Thurber, 24, is charged with capital murder, rape, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated sodomy in the death of 19-year-old Jodi Sanderholm of Arkansas City.

Sanderholm, a college student and dancer at Ark City Dance, disappeared Jan. 5. Her car was found four days later at Cowley State Fishing Lake, and her battered, strangled body was found 11 miles away in a wooded area.

At Thurber’s arraignment Monday, Morrison told Cowley County District Judge Jim Pringle that the state was seeking the death penalty because the crime was carried out in an “especially heinous and cruel manner.”

Thurber remained silent during the proceedings, and Pringle entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.

Under Kansas law, the state must file its intent to seek the death penalty in capital murder cases within five days of arraignment. Prosecutors often file the notice at the arraignment itself.

“It’s just handier, if you will, and more efficient to do it in open court, where everything is on the record,” Morrison said afterward.

Last month, Pringle decided there was enough evidence to try Thurber on the charges.

Though Morrison filed the notice, he said there are no guarantees that the state ultimately will pursue capital punishment. He said he wanted to comply with the law and file the notice in a timely manner to keep the prosecution’s options open.

“I don’t think anything is 100 percent,” he said.

Morrison has alleged that Thurber kidnapped Sanderholm after following her from dance practice, then drove her to a rural area where he raped and killed her.

Thurber appeared in court Monday wearing a gray, short-sleeved shirt, navy tie and black slacks. He answered “yes, sir” when the judge asked if he had signed the paper waiving his rights to a speedy trial.

Pringle set the trial date for June 24, 2008. Both sides expect the trial to last more than a month.