Cedar Rapids man pleads not guilty to killing neighbor

A 48-year-old Cedar Rapids man accused of killing his neighbor last month filed his written plea of not guilty Tuesday in Linn County District Court.

Jerome Power, 48, is charged with first-degree murder in the Sept. 19 death of Doris Bevins, 68, who was found unconscious with flannel pants wrapped around her neck by police in her apartment at 1211 5th Ave. SE, #2.

Bevins appeared to have been strangled, according to police, but an official cause of death hasn't been released.

Police responded to Bevins' apartment after a friend of Bevins heard her scream during their phone conversation. When police arrived, the front door was locked, but looking in through a window, they could see Bevins lying on the floor.

When police broke a pane of glass on the door to enter, they found also found Power, an upstairs neighbor, who was hiding behind the entry door, according to a police report.

Police started CPR on Bevins, but she died later at the hospital.

Power's trial date is set Nov. 29  and a pre-trial hearing is 1:30 p.m. Nov. 19, according to written arraignment filed Wednesday.

Power remains in the Linn County Jail on a $1 million bond.