MAXWELL, Neb. (AP) — A 60-year-old man accused of killing his wife on their farm in western Nebraska has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder.

Emerson Craig entered his plea in Lincoln County District Court on Monday. The judge set a status hearing for April 27.

Authorities responded to the farm near Maxwell in April on a report that a woman was trapped under a large, round hay bale. They say that when they arrived they found that Emerson Craig had removed the hay bale. Fifty-two-year-old Heidi Craig was pronounced dead at the scene.

The autopsy reports say she died of blunt force trauma and strangulation.