By Nancy Huddleston, Editor

Craigslist murder suspect Michael John Anderson of Savage still has not entered a plea to answer charges that he killed Katherine Ann Olson of Cottage Grove last fall.

Anderson was scheduled to be in court this week, but instead made an appearance on Aug. 12 with his lawyers where the judge was requested to set an omnibus contested hearing. The new hearing date is Sept. 24.

At a contested hearing, Anderson’s attorney will be allowed to call witnesses to the stand to ask questions in regard to the charges of first-degree murder and second-degree murder. At the conclusion of the hearing a plea will be entered and, if necessary, a jury trial date will be scheduled.

The 19-year-old is accused of luring Olson to his parents’ Kipling Avenue home in downtown Savage on Oct. 25, 2007 with a Craigslist Web advertisement for a babysitter. Police say he killed the 24-year-old woman in the bedroom of his home. Olson’s body was found in the trunk of her vehicle on the evening of Oct. 26 in the Rudy Kraemer Park Preserve, just over the Burnsville/Savage border.

Anderson was initially charged with second-degree murder with intent, but not premeditation, but those charges were upgraded by a Scott County Grand Jury to first-degree murder in December. Anderson also still faces the original second-degree murder charge.

Court documents regarding the first-degree murder charge indicate that Anderson intentionally caused the death of Olson with premeditation.

First-degree murder is punishable by life in prison and second-degree murder is punishable by 40 years in prison.

Nancy Huddleston can be reached at editor@savagepacer.com