Man charged with 1st-degree murder of Nanaimo teen pleads not guilty

The man charged with the first-degree murder of Nanaimo, B.C., teen Makayla Chang's has pleaded not guiltyin provincial court.

Steven Michael Bacon was arrested in Fredericton, N.B., for an unrelated matter in September2019, about a month after Nanaimo RCMP put out a Canada-wide appeal for help locating him as a person of interest in the case.

Chang was 16 when she wasreported missing in March 2017.

Her body was discovered two months later at an undisclosed location following an exhaustive search.

Father Kerry Chang says thenot guilty plea was expected.

"It's not surprising," he said. "We're just glad that it's moving along finally. Theemotions going with it,it's been a long haul for us."

Chang, who attended John Barsby Secondary School,was known to frequent Bacon's house in Nanaimo. Shewas not living at home at the time of her disappearance.

According to court documents, Baconwas born in 1964, making him 55 or 56 years old.