Son pleads not guilty to Loomis double homicide

Loomis resident Dennis Lynch, 19, plead not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday morning at Superior Court in Roseville. On March 30, Lynch was charged by the Placer County District Attorney's Office with two counts of murder with special allegations and one count of use of a deadly weapon . Since then, Lynch has been held without bail in the South Placer County Jail. On March 29, Lynch's parents, Kathryn Lynch and Gerald Upholt were found dead by Placer County Sheriff's officers who were at the residence for a welfare check. Kathryn Lynch's assistant, Ann Andersen, contacted the Placer County Sheriff's Office when she had not heard from Kathryn Lynch for a few days on March 28, according to Placer County Sheriff's Lt. Nelson Resendes. The autopsies of Kathryn Lynch and Gerald Upholt determined that they died from stab wounds, according to Resendes on April 1. Dennis Lynch attended Wednesday's arraignment via teleconference from the South Placer County Jail. John Mustafa of Koukoul and Koukoul Associates Inc., represented Lynch as his public defender in person in the courtroom. Placer County Superior Court Judge Colleen Nichols presided over Wednesday's hearing, where she reread Lynch his rights as the defendant, in which Lynch accepted. On behalf of Lynch, Mustafa waived Lynch's right to a preliminary hearing prior to his next court date, which has been scheduled for May 26. In addition, Mustafa declared to the court on behalf of Lynch that his defendant has pleaded "not guilty" to all three of his charges. According to Nichols and the prosecution, Lynch will remain in custody at the South Placer County Jail. "In this case, the court finds that there is a danger to the community (with the defendant having) two murder charges," Nichols said to the court on Wednesday morning. "Our alleged appropriate bail remains, (there will be) no bail (for Lynch)." Lynch is scheduled to reappear in court either virtually or in person on May 26 for his early status conference with his attorney and the prosecution.