Reeaz Khan, a 21-year-old undocumented immigrant from Guyana accused of sexually assaulting and killing 92-year-old Maria Fuentes last month, pleaded not guilty in a New York courtroom on Thursday, according to an article by Fox News.

According to authorities, Fuertes was on her way home in the early morning hours of Jan. 6, when she was assaulted by Khan, a day laborer who lives within a mile of the murder scene.

According to District Attorney Melinda Katz, surveillance footage shows the immigrant following Fuertes and then knocking her to the ground near some parked cars. Authorities also said the video shows Khan sexually assaulting Fuertes and later fleeing the scene.

"This was a senseless, brutal act of violence," Katz said. "The victim was found with her clothes pulled above her waist, and near death."

Fuentes was rushed to the hospital after she was found by a passerby who called 911, but upon arriving, the victim was declared dead from injuries sustained during the assault.

When Khan's brother saw the grainy footage, he turned his brother in who was charged with second-degree murder and first-degree sexual assault. Initially, Khan told investigators that Fuertes had fallen and he only tried to help her up, but during questioning, Khan admitted to having sexually assaulted the victim.

During a brief pretrial hearing on Thursday, Khan, through his lawyer Johnathon Latimer requested to prohibit cameras in the courtroom. However, this was rejected by the judge who angrily insisted, "the public has the right to know."

"In this particular situation, the public has been inundated with information about this case," the lawyer complained. "If there exists a presumption of innocence and due process ... the court at some point has to become concerned about the poisoning of public opinion." The lawyer said that allowing cameras is just piling on negativity and poisoning the public opinion.

But the judge allowed a half-dozen still and video cameras to record the proceeding, as he explained that while "the case has garnered a lot of attention," any eventual murder trial would not be tainted "one, two years down the road."

"It's news," the judge said. "The public has the right to know. I don't think the public is overburdened by information. Objection is denied."

Meanwhile, the judge approved the prosecutors' request for an additional two weeks before proceeding and scheduled the new court date for Feb. 24, 2020.

On Monday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement demanded the city hand over information on Khan as it claimed it issued a detainer request for Khan, after his detention due to an earlier incident where he allegedly assaulted his father with a broken coffee cup.

The detainer request pertains to giving authority to ICE to hold undocumented immigrants who have been charged or convicted of crimes for two days after their release so that immigration officials can pick them up.

However, the NYPD denied receiving a detainer. This prompted ICE to release a copy of the fax form they sent to New York authorities dated Nov. 27, 2019.

"A phone call, one simple phone call and Maria Fuertes could be alive today," ICE Director Matthew Albence told reporters.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump singled out Khan in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, saying it was an example of what's wrong with the "Sanctuary City" of New York.

He added, New York's laws led to Fuertes' rape and murder.

"If the city had honored ICE's detainer request, his victim would be alive today," Trump said.

The statement angered some organizations and led to a petition signed by more than 120 groups in support of the city's approach to detainer policies. The letter was addressed to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

In the past, the U.S. president has also slammed sanctuary cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago which he claims to have become a hideout for criminals who seek to destabilize public safety.