Rochester man pleads not guilty to murder in connection to stabbing

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — A Rochester man accused of stabbing another man to death at an apartment Monday morning has pleaded not guilty to several charges.

Evan Guzman, 36, made the plea as he appeared in Rochester City Court Tuesday as part of his arraignment in connection to the death of 52-year-old Ted Morris, Sr.

Police say Guzman stabbed Morris several times after Guzman knocked on the door of Morris’s apartment on Resolute Circle around 5 a.m.

Guzman, who is from Rochester, was released from prison in April of this year for failing to register as a sex offender, and assaulting a prison guard.

He is a Level 2 sex offender for a crime involving a child under the age of 13. He has a total of three prior felony convictions, as well as three prior misdemeanor convictions.

Police say Guzman and Morris knew each other, but would not disclose a motive for the killing.