NEW YORK (AP) – A California woman suspected of participating in a two-state robbery spree that left three people dead pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murder and robbery charges during an arraignment in Nassau County Court on Long Island.

Nicole Pearce, 23, of San Marcos, Calif., is suspected of joining her boyfriend, Christopher DiMeo, and DiMeo’s mother in a series of jewelry store holdups around the metropolitan area.

Thomas Renison, owner of J&J Jewelers in Glen Head, was killed during a robbery on Dec. 21, 2004; and Timothy Donnelly and his wife, Kimberly Donnelly, were fatally shot during a Feb. 2 holdup at their store in Fairfield, Conn.

In all, the trio are allegedly linked to four holdups: two on Long Island, one in Rockland County and one in Connecticut.

A teary eyed Pearce, who was arrested with Christopher DiMeo while they were staying at a $39-a-night motel in Atlantic City, N.J., last month, was ordered held without bail during her arraignment before Nassau County Court Judge Victor Ort.

DiMeo, 23, and his mother, Maryann Taylor of Hicksville, pleaded not guilty to robbery and murder charges earlier this month.

DiMeo, a native of Glen Head, N.Y., was paroled in June 2004 after serving 21/2 years for a robbery in 2001.

He apparently went to live with his grandparents in California as a condition of his parole but never reported to a parole officer. He allegedly stole a 1999 black Honda SUV in San Marcos, Calif., and drove back to New York with DiMeo in October.

The couple then started their jewelry stickups to support their drug addictions, police said. An estimated $300,000 worth of rings and bracelets was taken during the robberies.

Pearce’s attorney, Michael Soshnick, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that while he was still considering all defense options, there was a likelihood he would ask for separate trials.

He contended that while Pearce “was complicit with respect to the criminality, the level of her culpability is far less than Chris DiMeo or DeMeo’s mother.”

Pearce, who was undergoing withdrawal from heroin addiction when she was arrested last month, appeared to be in much better physical condition at her arraignment, her lawyer said. “Her emotional condition is another story. She breaks down and cried all the time,” Soshnick said. “She was crying throughout today’s arraignment.”

Pearce’s next court appearance is scheduled for April 7, while DeMeo and his mother are due in court the day before.

The trio will face prosecution in New York before being tried in Connecticut.