Four teens charged with the grizzly murder of a University of Southern California grad student from China have pleaded not guilty, reports the Los Angeles Times. The suspects are accused of the July 24 fatal beating of 24 year-old Ji Xinran, who was attacked with a baseball bat as he walked home from a study group.

Jonathan Del Carmen, 19; Andrew Garcia, 18; Alberto Ochoa, 17; and Alejandra Guerrero, 16 have all entered a plea of not guilty. The suspects are to be held without bail until their next hearing on September 12.

Garcia and Del Carmen could potentially face the death penalty. As minors, the other defendants are too young to be given capital punishment.

Some 150 students, friends, supporters came to the Los Angeles courthouse to attend the hearing.

In 2012, two Chinese exchange students of USC were shot and killed as they sat in their car during a botched robbery.

Photos: LA Times