Teen murder suspect appears in Brevard County court

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A 19-year-old man accused of stabbing a man to death inside a Cocoa motel room appeared in court Thursday morning. 

Prosecutors say Joshua Keravuori, 19, stabbed Terry Hilliard nearly 20 times last month at the Dixie Motel on Forrest Avenue. 

Investigators say Hilliard picked the teen up while he was hitchhiking. 

Detectives say after the killing, Keravuori stole Hilliard's watch, wedding ring, wallet, cellphone, pistol and car.

Keravuori was on the run for days before turning himself in to police in Alpharetta, Georgia, according to authorities. 

Police say Keravuori told them he attacked Hilliard after the man attempted to rape him. 

Keravuori's defense attorney, Ernest Chang, said he plans to request bond for his client. Chang told the judge Thursday that a detective attempted to question Keravuori after he had invoked his right to have an attorney present.

The judge did not reprimand that detective but did order that he have no further contact with Keravuori.

Chang claims Keravuori tried to hitchhike back to Cocoa when he learned that authorities were looking for him and he said that even if there's evidence of murder, there's no evidence that Keravuori didn't act in self-defense.