NASHVILLE — One of two suspects in a 2019 Berrien County slaying has entered a plea of not guilty, court records show.

Keyante Greene, 27, entered the plea Thursday morning, records show.

Greene and and another suspect were indicted by a Berrien County Grand Jury in the death of 17-year-old Mercedes Hackle, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office.

The indictment includes charges for both malice murder and multiple counts of felony murder, the statement said.

Dick Perryman, who was district attorney at the time, filed notice that his office would seek the death penalty against Vann and Greene. Lethal injection is the method of execution used in Georgia, he said.

Authorities found the bodies of two people in mid-March 2019 and discovered a third body March 14, 2019, all near the Berrien-Atkinson county line.

The case began with a missing persons report filed early the same week.

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Office asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to assist with the missing persons investigation following the discovery of a vehicle on fire.

At 5:30 a.m., March 12, 2019, the sheriff’s office responded to the scene of a vehicle on fire in the area off Ga. 135 at the Alapaha River near the Atkinson County line. The investigation determined the car was used by Bobbie Lynn Moore, 22, according to a GBI statement.

Moore, Ronnie Wayne Hackle Jr., 27, and Mercedes Hackle did not respond to attempts to contact them and were reported missing, according to the statement.

Before the indictment, the other suspect was charged with three counts of malice murder in connection to the deaths and one count of arson in connection with a burned vehicle, the GBI reports. Greene was charged with two counts of malice murder in Atkinson County and one count of malice murder in Berrien County, according to the GBI.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.