AUBURN – Two Lewiston men pleaded not guilty Thursday to last month’s murder of an 82-year-old man who was found stuffed in the trunk of his car.

David Lakin, 22, and Shaun Tuttle, 21, appeared in Androscoggin County Superior Court, where a judge ordered them held without bail.

Lakin and Tuttle are accused of killing James McManus of Lewiston, who was beaten, strangled with a rope and run over with his own car on a rural road in Turner.

In an earlier court hearing, the men blamed each other for McManus’ death. Each claimed to have been passed out inside the car while the other beat and strangled McManus.

Tuttle later told police that they then drove back to Lewiston with the body in the trunk, bought cigarettes at a store and went to a carwash to clean the outside of the car, according to court documents.

At Thursday’s arraignment, Lakin and Tuttle sat on different benches and did not speak to each other.