Valen enters not guilty plea in district court

John Valen entered a "not guilty" plea during his formal arraignment Monday in Fourth District Court.

A trial date was set for Aug. 3, and is expected to last three to four weeks. Pretrial motions will be heard on July 19.

Valen is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife of two months, Jodi Lynn. The charge carries a penalty of ten years to life in prison and up to a $50,000 fine.

In addition, he is charged with first-degree arson, for allegedly attempting to set his home on fire. He was found in the burning house with the body of his wife, who had been stabbed more than 100 times. That charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 25 years in prison and a maximum fine of $100,000.

Valen also has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals. The two Valen dogs were found stabbed to death in the home.

Valen was bound over to district court following a preliminary hearing in magistrate's court last week.

In other murder cases pending in Elmore County, sentencing for Larry Severson has been delayed until May, and the sentencing for Albert Ciccone has been delayed until June.