NEW SCOTLAND — Jacob Klein was in New Scotland Town Court on Thursday afternoon where he pleaded “not guilty” to second-degree murder.

He stood before Justice David Wukitsch in what used to be the Clarksville elementary school and is now part of the county sheriff’s compound.

His lawyer, Mark Bederow, met Klein for the first time on Thursday.

“He’s not gonna come in and plead guilty on an arraignment,” Bederow told the press outside the courtroom.

“Very heavy cases like this take a lot of time, a lot of review of evidence …,” he said. “It’s far too early to draw any conclusions.”

Bederow, a former prosecutor at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, has a law office in New York City.

Last Friday evening, Klein, 40, a Virginia resident, was arrested about a half-mile inside the state of Virginia, coming from Tennessee on Interstate 40, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said at a Saturday morning press conference.

Klein is accused of murdering Philip L. Rabadi, 35, on the morning of April 13 in the home Rabadi shared with his wife, Ellie Raden, at 120 Miller Road in New Scotland.

Rabadi and his wife worked together in the same practice as surgical physician assistants at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany. Rabadi, a Guilderland High School and University at Albany graduate, had graduated from the Albany Medical College physician assistant program; his family has set up a Legacy Fund at the college in his honor.

Rabadi’s wife, who had left for work early on the morning of April 13 — Rabadi was not scheduled to work until later — had called for a welfare check and then arrived at their Miller Road home along with Rabadi’s father, Shaw Rabadi, at about the same time as a sheriff’s deputy arrived, Apple said.

“A check of the residence revealed the victim deceased on the garage floor, bound, and with multiple stab wounds and mutilation to his body,” Apple said.

Apple would not comment on Klein’s motive, but said that Klein had ties to Rabadi’s wife and to the area. Klein is also a physician’s assistant, he said. Klein, who had driven to the area from Virginia, had been stalking Rabadi three days prior to the murder, Apple said.

Bederow said on Thursday that all he knew about the case was what he saw in the press. “They’re very serious allegations. Obviously, you feel terrible for the Rabadi family,” he said.

Bederow went on, “Mr. Klein has entered a plea of ‘not guilty.’ He’s entitled to due process, the presumption of innocence …. I would just caution the public to presume innocence as anyone is entitled to and wait for the details to come in from the courtroom, not through press conferences or releases by police officers.”

Klein was sent to Albany County’s jail without bail; a hearing is scheduled for April 25 at 3 p.m.