Magnotta pleads not guilty, China wants 'justice'

In his first Canadian court appearance today, alleged murderer Luka Magnotta has pleaded not guilty to all counts. China is urging Canada to ensure that victim Jun Lin receives justice in the upcoming trial.

Update 1: Magnotta appeared by video conference in a Montreal courtroom today and pleaded not guilty to all counts. The arraignment was less than 10 minutes long. His next court appearance will be on Thursday. Update 2: CTV reported earlier this morning that Magnotta had hired attorney Marc Labelle, who is currently representing a former Quebec lieutenant governor on fraud charges. They later retracted the statement. The lawyer is actually Pierre Panaccio, an experienced criminal attorney who has represented members of organized crime and the Hell's Angels in the past. Panaccio may request that Magnotta go through a psychological assessment. China will be watching the case closely, and has urged Canada to ensure the victim, Jun Lin, receives justice. In a briefing on Tuesday, Hong Lei, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said "The case of Lin Jun attracted great attention both from China and Canada. While handling the case, we hope the Canadian side can ... fairly try the case and do justice to the victim." Lin was a Chinese exchange student who came to Montreal's Concordia University to study engineering. He was a straight A student, widely regarded as responsible and hard working. Other Chinese students in Montreal are worried about their safety and wondering whether the crime was racially motivated.