Man pleads not guilty to killing, dismembering Seattle-area woman he was dating

John Charlton, center, the man accused of dismembering a woman in her suburban home and dumping her body parts in Seattle recycling bins, is viewed through a window as he stands with his attorneys in a King County Superior Courtroom, Wednesday, April 27, 2016, during his arraignment in Seattle. Charlton pleaded not guilty to murder and theft charges. (Ted S. Warren/AP)

John Charlton, left, the man accused of dismembering a woman in her suburban home and dumping her body parts in Seattle recycling bins, is viewed through a window as he walks with one of his attorneys, right, in a King County Superior Courtroom, Wednesday, April 27, 2016, following his arraignment in Seattle. Charlton pleaded not guilty to murder and theft charges. (Ted S. Warren/AP)

John Charlton, left, the man accused of dismembering a woman in her suburban home and dumping her body parts in Seattle recycling bins, is viewed through a window as he stands with one of his attorneys, right, in a King County Superior Courtroom, Wednesday, April 27, 2016, during his arraignment in Seattle. Charlton pleaded not guilty to murder and theft charges. (Ted S. Warren/AP)

King County Superior Court Judge Julie Spector listens to motions prior to the arraignment of John Charlton, the man accused of dismembering a woman in her suburban home and dumping her body parts in Seattle recycling bins, Wednesday, April 27, 2016, in Seattle. (Ted S. Warren/AP)

SEATTLE — The man accused of dismembering a woman in her suburban home and dumping her body parts in Seattle recycling bins has pleaded not guilty to murder and theft charges.

John Charlton was arraigned Wednesday in King County Superior Court. He remains jailed on $5 million bail. He faces at least 28 years in prison if convicted.

The 37-year-old is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Ingrid Lyne, a 40-year-old mother of three from Renton. Charlton also is charged with auto theft for allegedly taking Lyne’s vehicle.

Authorities allege he dismembered the woman he recently started dating and then drove her body parts to Seattle.

Charlton’s lawyer Gordon Hill has said no forensic evidence links Charlton to the crime.

Charlton told investigators that he and Lyne attended a baseball game and then returned to her house, but he was so intoxicated he couldn’t remember what happened.