Former NFL player Sergio Brown is pleading not guilty to murdering his mother and hiding her body.
He entered the plea on Wednesday and is expected back in court next month, according to the Cook County (Illinois) State’s Attorney’s Office.
His mom, Myrtle, was found dead in a creek near her home in Maywood, Illinois in September. She was 73.
Brown, 35, was originally reported as missing, but he was found to be alive and in Mexico. There, he posted videos on social media claiming that the FBI killed his mother and kidnapped him, and that her death was “fake news.”
Prosecutors said Brown was using his mother’s credit card in Mexico in the days after her death, ABC 7 Chicago reported.
He was brought back to the States and arrested in October.
He is being held in prison without bail. He faces charges of first-degree murder and concealing a body.
Brown spent six seasons between the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, and Buffalo Bills as a safety. He has not appeared in a game since 2016. Undrafted out of Notre Dame, Brown played in 94 games, recording one INT, four fumble recoveries, 2.5 sacks, and 144 tackles.
