Wesleyan Shooting Suspect Appears in Court, Bond Raised to $15 Million

May 8, 2009— -- Accused killer Stephen Morgan said nothing today when he appeared in court to face charges he murdered 21-year-old Wesleyan University student Johanna Justin-Jinich.

But the warrant for his arrest alleged that he had written in a journal, found by police, "Kill Johanna. She must Die" and, "I think it's ok to kill Jews and go on a killing spree," the Associated Press reported today.

The news service also reported today that Morgan's attorney, Richard Brown, denied that his client targeted anyone at the school despite the journal entries. Morgan, he said after today's arraignment, plans to plead not guilty.

Earlier in Middletown Superior Court, the judge raised Morgan's bond from $10 million to $15 million and continued the case to May 19.

Dressed in a blue, zip-up jumpsuit, Morgan spent much of the time staring straight ahead or with his head bowed, occasionally looking up to survey the courtroom. He nodded once after being read his rights by the judge.

His lawyer, Richard Brown, told the judge that he would not be seeking a lower bond today as he was retained late Thursday and had only 15 minutes to speak with Morgan before the arraignment.

Morgan is accused of shooting Justin-Jinich, an acquaintance from a class at New York University, seven times at the Red & Black Cafe on the Wesleyan campus, disguised in a wig.

Morgan's parents and two sisters attended the brief hearing. One sister wept as Morgan, scruffy and unkempt, left the courtroom accompanied by judicial marshals.

Morgan's father identified his son as the man seen in bookstore surveillance photos and told investigators his son was a loner who kept a journal and was known to make anti-Semitic comments, according to the warrant.

Justin-Jinich, of Timnath, Colo., came from a Jewish family, and her grandmother was a Holocaust survivor.

Morgan was arrested without incident Thursday after contacting police in nearby Meriden, Conn., from a Cumberland Farms convenience store. Police said he had seen his photograph in a newspaper.

The school's Red &Black Cafe posted a tribute to Johanna on its Web site and asked for the media to refrain from contacting staff as police continue their investigation. The cafe will be closed until further notice, according to the Web site.

"The brutal murder of Johanna Justin-Jinich has left us devastated," the statement read. "Johanna was our employee, our co-worker and our friend. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and our staff."

The motive for the shooting and the nature of the relationship between Morgan and Justin-Jinich is still unclear. Justin-Jinich, who was reportedly Jewish, had been in the same class with Morgan two years ago when they both attended a summer session at New York University in Manhattan.

The New York Times reported today that officials were trying to determine if Justin-Jinich and Morgan had crossed paths while living in different Colorado towns or if the class at NYU was their first introduction.

Shooting Suspect Stephen Morgan's Brother Says Suspect Had Big Heart

Toward the end of the NYU program, Justin-Jinich filed an aggravated harassment complaint with the NYPD, saying she had been receiving harassing e-mails and phone calls from Morgan for a week, police said.

The alleged harassment began after Justin-Jinich did not return Morgan's calls or e-mails for several days, according a source close to the investigation. It was unclear why Justin-Jinich cut off contact with Morgan.

"You're going to have a lot more problems down the road if you can't take any [expletive] criticism, Johanna," one of the e-mails said, Justin-Jinich told police, according to a complaint she filed on July 17, 2007.

Both Justin-Jinich and Morgan were interviewed by the police, but Justin-Jinich declined to press charges, according to the police and NYU spokesman John Beckman.

In the time Morgan spent hiding from authorities -- who had reportedly questioned him at the scene but let him go, according to the Hartford Courant -- officials had announced a $10,000 reward for information that led Morgan's arrest, $5,000 each from the U.S. Marshal's Service and Wesleyan.

Police and university officials had urged students to stay inside after finding Morgan's journal, in which he allegedly made threats to Wesleyan students and its Jewish community. Morgan also allegedly wrote in his journal, discovered in his car near the crime scene, about wanting to rape and kill Justin-Jinich, the Associated Press reported.

"We are all breathing a little easier with this news," university president Michael Roth said in a statement.

Morgan said his brother has not displayed anti-Semitic behavior in the past. "My brother was a very sweet person and had a big heart, and I hope he's OK," he said.

ABC News' Rich Esposito and The Associated Press contributed to this report.