Las Vegas man accused of killing his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son pleads not guilty

By Amir Vera and Andy Rose, CNN

The man accused of killing his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son in Las Vegas pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

Terrell Rhodes, 27, appeared in court, confirming to a judge that he understood the charges against him and pleading not guilty.

Bail was not discussed, and Rhodes remains in custody.

He faces 11 charges: first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder with the use of a deadly weapon, four counts of assault on a protected person using a deadly weapon and four counts of resisting a public officer with a firearm.

The child, Amari Nicholson, was last seen May 5.

Las Vegas police questioned Rhodes on May 11 and a police report says he confessed to the killing and was arrested.

Rhodes “was briefly able to retrieve an officer’s firearm” during a scuffle as the arrest was being made, but no shots were fired, according to Lt. Richard Meyers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

According to the arrest report, Rhodes told officers he punched Amari several times after the child had urinated on himself.

The boy’s body was found the day after Rhodes was arrested, about a block away from where he went missing.

Rhodes’ next hearing is scheduled for June 11. His attorney, Robert Langford, has asked that his client be allowed to appear remotely from jail.

CNN’s Hollie Silverman contributed to this report.