PORTLAND – A 46-year-old Palmyra man pleaded not guilty Thursday to a murder charge in the 1995 shooting of a hitchhiker he picked up in Portland.

Steven Cutting, who allegedly confessed to the killing of 36-year-old William Greenwood of Westbrook, entered his plea in Cumberland County Superior Court.

After his arrest, Cutting told a television reporter that he shot Greenwood in self-defense after the two men got into a fight.

Investigators said Cutting was never a suspect until he allegedly confessed his involvement to a relative, who notified police.