Man Charged in Brother’s Death Pleads Not Guilty

LUFKIN — A Moffett man accused of beating his brother to death with a baseball bat in April pleaded not guilty to the charge in a Wednesday morning arraignment hearing. Defense attorney Al Charanza said his client, Gary Wayne Hodges, 52, is not guilty of the crime with which he’s been charged, the murder of his 46-year-old brother, Kevin Hodges. Kevin Hodges was taken off life support in a Nacogdoches hospital four days after the incident, which Charanza said stemmed from a misunderstanding between the two men and Gary Hodges’ wife.

He has been out of jail on a $200,000 bond since the April 29 incident. Gary Hodges was initially charged with aggravated assault, but the charge was upgraded to murder after his brother was taken off life support. If convicted of first-degree murder, he faces up to life in prison. His jury trial is set for March 2012.