New Jersey man pleads not guilty in mother's brutal killing

HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) — A northern New Jersey man accused of stabbing and beating his mother to death last year has pleaded not guilty to murder and weapons charges.

The Record (http://bit.ly/1JgqbIW) reports that 25-year-old Nicholas Piotti, of Ho-Ho-Kus, entered his pleas Monday during a state Superior Court hearing in Hackensack. He's charged in the death of his 63-year-old mother, Karen, who suffered multiple stab wounds and beating trauma in the September 2014 attack.

Piotti's lawyers have said he has psychiatric problems, and they are considering an insanity defense.

Piotti remains jailed on $2 million bail.

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Information from: The Record (Woodland Park, N.J.), http://www.northjersey.com