LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A man accused of abducting and murdering a northern Nevada teenager has pled not guilty.
Last March, Troy Driver was arrested in connection with the death of 18-year-old Naomi Irion.
Investigators said the Fernley woman went missing on March 12, 2022.
Police said she was last seen when a masked man forced her into a vehicle outside of a Walmart store in Fernley, which is 30 miles east of Reno.
Her body was found weeks later after investigators received a tip.
On Monday, Driver appeared in a Reno courtroom and pled not guilty to multiple charges including first degree murder and sexual assault.
In December, a judge ruled Driver is competent to stand trial and Driver has waived his right to a speedy trial.
Driver's attorneys have previously argued he can't legally be tried in Lyon County for the murder because it happened in Churchill County.
However, prosecutors said he can be tried in Lyon County since he kidnapped Irion from a Walmart there before he shot and buried her in the desert "all as one continuous course of conduct."
He's scheduled to be back in court on May 26.
