A Waterville man pleaded not guilty to murder in the death of the woman who was his girlfriend and the mother of their twin 8-year-old girls.

The Portland Press Herald reports 28-year-old Nicholas Lovejoy initially confessed to police that he shot and killed 29-year-old Melissa Sousa on October 22nd of 2019. He pleaded not guilty in court on Monday.

Lovejoy was indicted on a murder charge in November.

State prosecutors have called for a mental health evaluation of Lovejoy, despite pushback from his attorney, who says he has no reason to believe Lovejoy has any mental health issues.

Sousa was last seen putting her daughters onto a school bus the day before her body was found wrapped in a tarp in the basement of her building.

Police said Lovejoy is accused of shooting her twice in the stomach. An affidavit says Lovejoy said he shot Sousa in self-defense after she allegedly pushed him down a staircase and tried to shoot him.