Khari Noerdlinger is charged with aggravated manslaughter.
HACKENSACK -- An Edgewater man pleaded not guilty Monday to an indictment accusing him of fatally stabbing a 16-year-old.
A grand jury in April indicted Khari Noerdlinger, 19, on charges of weapon possession, aggravated manslaughter and hindering apprehension in the Jan. 31 death of Savion Lewallen. He is the son of Rachel Noerdlinger, a former aide to New York City First Lady Chirlene McCray.
Noerdlinger used a 7-inch blade to stab Lewallen, the indictment says. He also allegedly cleaned the knife and changed his clothes to avoid detection.
Lewallen traveled to Edgewater from Rockland County, N.Y. with Mirleny Tremols, Richard Jean-Pierre, Kevensky Lubin and Calim Gaspard to rob and attack Noerdlinger with a baseball bat, the indictment says.
Noerdlinger has been free on $300,000 bail since Feb. 7. Acting Bergen County Senior Assistant Prosecutor Danielle Grootenboer said in court Monday that he violated the terms of his bail by testing positive for cocaine.
Jeffrey Lichtman, the attorney for Noerdlinger, said the amount of cocaine detected only slightly exceeded a minimum cutoff.
"It seems that this may just be a trace amount," he said.
Because of the test, Judge Frances McGrogan approved a new bail order placing Noerdlinger under house arrest from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. each day and requiring him to report to probation three times a week instead of one.
Lichtman argued against the order, saying the increased reporting requirements might make it difficult for Noerdlinger to work.
Tremols, Jean-Pierre and Lubin, who are free on bail, were arraigned later in the morning. They each pleaded not guilty. Gaspard, who remains jailed on $200,000 bail, was scheduled to appear Monday afternoon.
Grootenboer said at a bail hearing in February that Lewallen worked for Noerdlinger as a drug dealer. He and the other people accused in the robbery traveled to Edgewater because Noerdlinger owed him money.
Licthman has said that is "simply wrong," and that Noerdlinger was the victim of an attack.
Noerdlinger is scheduled to return to court July 11.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.