Jarod Thomas Lane, 19, of Renton pleaded not guilty Wednesday morning to first-degree murder charges in the death of Jessica Scholl, a 17-year-old Lindbergh High School junior, at her home May 25.

After the Lane’s plea, the Scholl family issued the following statement:

We are here for Jessica Scholl.

We are here to honor her and to remember her as a beautiful, loving, 17 year old girl.

Our grief at the loss of Jessica on May 25th, is so deep that it hurts every day.

We understand that the trial is about the defendant, but we hope that our presence will serve as a reminder to the defendant and to the court – a reminder of who Jessica was and how much she was loved.

This Not-Guilty Plea has left our family deeply hurt and saddened.

This selfish act prolongs our pain and suffering.

We hoped and prayed that the defendant would allow our family to heal.

Instead, his not guilty plea starts a prolonged trial that will continue to remind us of Jessica’s violent death.

We trust the legal system to do what is right and just for Jessica.

The arraignment was at the  King County Courthouse in downtown Seattle. Lane is being held on $2 million at the King County Jail downtown.

Lane also pleaded not guilty to first-degree arson for allegedly setting fire to the Scholl family home near Lindbergh.