A Saugerties man accused of second-degree murder in the Sept. 1 slaying of Maria “Lucy” Lumas has pleaded not guilty. Meanwhile, prosecutors say they plan to introduce at trial statements made by 49-year-old Johnny Amaro to police after he was taken into custody.

On Thursday, Amaro entered his plea in Ulster County Court at an arraignment before County Court Judge Bryan Rounds. The proceeding came shortly after an Ulster County grand jury handed up an indictment charging Amaro with second-degree murder in the death of Lumas, a Kingston resident and married mother of four.

Amaro has been in custody since the morning of Sept. 1 when he was discovered, bleeding from wounds to his wrist and neck, threatening to jump off the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. A state trooper and a Town of Ulster police officer at the scene were able to drag him to safety. At a preliminary hearing earlier this month, cops at the scene described Amaro as distraught and at times incoherent as he confessed to killing Lumas, a married mother of four, who he described as “the love of my life.”

Police believe Amaro drove to the bridge in a Toyota RAV4 registered to a family member of Lumas, where they found blood covering the steering wheel and Lumas’ purse on the front passenger seat. Amaro led police to a wooded area off of Eastern Parkway where cops discovered Lumas dead along a trail not far from Amaro’s pickup truck. She had been stabbed repeatedly in the chest and her throat was slashed so severely that it severed her airway. Investigators also discovered a knife handle nearby.

In a press release issued Friday, prosecutors offered new details, including the fact that they believe Amaro killed Lumas sometime between 6:42 and 7:32 a.m. on Sept. 1, immediately prior to driving to the bridge in Lumas’ SUV. Lumas’ body was discovered by the state trooper who intervened to stop the suicide attempt and an Ulster County sheriff’s deputy at 8:23 a.m. In the statement Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Culmone-Mills praised investigators on the case for moving quickly to gather the evidence needed to secure the indictment.

“I want to commend the members of the Town of Ulster Police Department, especially the Detective Division, for their tireless hours of work on this investigation. It is because of their professionalism, perseverance and dedication that we were able to bring this case before a grand jury within two weeks of the arrest, bringing us one step closer to justice for the victim, her family and the community,”

Rounds ordered Amaro jailed without bail after Assistant Public Defender Margot Hanstein said that she was not immediately prepared to make an argument for bail. Hanstein added that she could make a written application for bail at a later date. Meanwhile, Culmone-Mills said she’s awaiting test results from the state police lab before she could declare the case ready for trial.

Culmone-Mills added that she had turned over to the defense “710-30 material.” Also known as a Huntley notice, 710-30 material refers to a written notification that prosecutors must give to the defense anytime they plan to introduce statements made by a defendant while in police custody. The notice typically includes details of how the defendant was taken into custody and questioned, and a summary of their statement.

Amaro is due back in court for a hearing on Nov. 28.