Suffolk County prosecutors charged a 21-year-old Islip man with the murder of Kyle Underhill, a former classmate whose body was found two years ago in a marshy area just blocks away from his home.
Thomas Liming pleaded not guilty to a second-degree murder charge during his arraignment on Friday. He was held on $5 million cash bail or $1.5 million bond.
Liming reportedly surrendered to authorities on Friday.
Suffolk County police discovered Underhill’s body on Nov. 19, 2011, just two days after his parents had reported the 18-year-old missing. Investigators ruled his death a homicide two days later.
Police said at the time that Underhill’s body was discovered in a wooded area on Brook Street behind an elementary school.
Underhill graduated Islip High School in 2011 and was attending SUNY Farmingdale.