CADIZ — A man who was arrested for the murder of a Bellaire woman pleaded innocent to the crime.

Samuel M. Farnsworth, 48, of 451 N. Main St., Apt. C3, Cadiz, appeared before Harrison County Common Pleas Court Judge T. Shawn Hervey on Tuesday morning for a pretrial hearing in the case.

Farnsworth was arrested in early April for the murder of 40-year-old Sherry Lynn Shrieve, whose body was discovered alongside a rural road outside of New Athens. Shrieve’s body was discovered on the morning of March 6 about 1 mile from the Belmont/Harrison county line on Harrison County Road 36, High Street Road. According to officials, she was shot to death.

Assistant Prosecutor Jeffrey Bruzzese said Farnsworth entered a plea of innocent during Tuesday’s hearing.

“We’re still early on in the case,” Bruzzese said.

Farnsworth is due back in court for another pretrial hearing Aug. 4.

He is being held at the Jefferson County Jail, where he is in the midst of serving a six-month sentence for an unrelated case.

A $2 million bond has been set for Farnsworth in the homicide case.