photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Julius Beasley appears Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Douglas County District Court.

A Lawrence man pleaded not guilty Friday to first-degree murder in connection with a homicide at a homeless camp, and his trial is scheduled to take place next spring.

The defendant, Julius Beasley, 40, is accused of stabbing Crystal White, 51, of Lawrence, who was found dead in a tent near 100 Maple St. in North Lawrence in the early-morning hours of Feb. 22. Judge Stacey Donovan found probable cause for Beasley to be tried after a two-part preliminary hearing earlier this fall in which numerous witnesses testified about circumstances surrounding White’s death, as the Journal-World reported.

Branden Smith, one of Beasley’s attorneys, said on Friday that he expected the trial to take two weeks, and Donovan scheduled the trial for June 2-13. Beasley is being held in the Douglas County Jail on a $500,000 bond.

photo by: Contributed

Crystal White