Man pleads not guilty in Spurlock murder

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The man now charged with the murder of Savannah Spurlock entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment.

David Sparks previously was charged with tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse.

Spurlock's family came to court today, but declined to speak on camera.

In July, Sparks was taken into custody after Spurlock's remains were found buried in a shallow grave on a property belonging to Sparks' family.

A grand jury indicted Sparks on the murder charge last month.

Court documents allege that Sparks committed "the offense of murder when he intentionally caused the death of Savannah Spurlock, or, while manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, he wantonly engaged in conduct which created a grave risk of death to her and thereby caused her death."

Spurlock, 24, disappeared from the Other Bar in Lexington in January of this year. She was seen on surveillance video leaving with two men, one of whom was later identified as Sparks.

Officers say her nude body was found in a 19-inch deep grave and her feet were bound with shipping tape. She was placed in multiple black bags. Police say that she was found buried with a rug from Sparks' bedroom, which he replaced with a similar looking rug.

Investigators claim Sparks told them that Spurlock had gone back with him to his Lancaster home with two other men the night she disappeared, but that when he woke up the next morning she was gone.

Officers also testified that blood belonging to Spurlock was found inside a closet door at Sparks' Price Court rental.

A cause of death for Spurlock has not been released.

Sparks has been lodged in the Lincoln County Detention Center since his arrest.