The lawyer for Chris Myers says he will enter a plea of not guilty to the murder of Ardeth Wood.

Myers made a brief appearance Friday morning in a courtroom packed with curious members of the public, journalists, lawyers and police. He was charged with first-degree murder in the high-profile case involving the death of the 27-year-old philosophy student two summers ago.

Chris Myers leaves the Ottawa courthouse handcuffed in a police cruiser following his first court appearance after being charged with the murder of Ardeth Wood. (CP PHOTO/Tom Hanson)
Chris Myers leaves the Ottawa courthouse handcuffed in a police cruiser following his first court appearance after being charged with the murder of Ardeth Wood. (CP PHOTO/Tom Hanson)

Wood disappeared in the early afternoon of Aug. 6, 2003 while cycling along a path near the Aviation Parkway.

Her naked body was found several days later by an RCMP dog on the banks of Green's Creek. The bicycle she was riding was found in the water.

Myers was arrested Thursday morning in North Bay, where he has been held in custody since May on charges of sexual assault and forcible confinement. Ottawa police announced the break in the case at an afternoon news conference the same day.

Myers also faces charges for five unrelated sexual assaults, four in Ottawa and one in North Bay.

After the justice of the peace instructed Myers not to contact any of the victims in the alleged sexual assaults, he was led out of the courtroom.

"He maintains his innocence. He intends to defend the charges," said his lawyer, Bob Carew. "He's anxious to see why he was charged and what the evidence that the police have against him … is."

Carew, also indicated that he will consider requesting a change of venue for the trial, but he's awaiting the Crown's disclosure of evidence before making that decision.

The last time a murder trial had to be moved out of Ottawa was the case of Claude Bourguignon, who was eventually found guilty of sodomizing and killing his two-year-old nephew. Gary Barnes, Bourguignon's lawyer, thinks Carew will have to request a change of venue.

"In order for this individual to get a fair trial, he's going to need a change of venue," said Barnes.

"The press coverage has gone into things about his criminal record, things about past, things about him personally … that the triers of fact really shouldn't know about because they have nothing to do [with] the case.

"The court will look at that and try and decide, 'Is the coverage so enormous, is it so intimate in its details about the accused that it's too much to ask of a jury.'"

The lead Crown on this case is Hilary McCormack, who also prosecuted Bourguignon.

Myers is back in court next Thursday.