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Man Accused In Pittsburg Dragging Death Appears In Court

PITTSBURG (AP) -- A Brentwood man accused of running over a woman with his pickup and dragging her to death is scheduled to enter a plea next month.

51-year-old Lucio Rivera-Avila appeared in a Pittsburg courtroom Thursday but no plea was entered.  Due to reported scheduling conflicts, he's expected to have an attorney assigned before returning to court Jan. 11.

Rivera-Avila is charged with murder in the Dec. 7 death of 47-year-old Shelly Baker of Antioch.

Authorities say the two argued inside the man's Nissan Frontier pickup before Baker got out and Rivera-Avila threw out her belongings. He then allegedly backed up, headed for Baker, struck her and dragged her 50 to 70 feet.

He's being held on more than $1 million bail.

 (© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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