Harvey, 34, was charged after the body of 23-year-old Valerie Hamilton, the daughter of Concord Police Chief Merl Hamilton, was found in a storage unit in southeast Charlotte. He was arrested in his hometown of Niagara Falls, N.Y., on Sept. 20 and had been held in a jail there since.

Harvey returned to Charlotte Tuesday night and appeared in court Wednesday, saying only, “Yes, sir,” when the judge asked if he understood that he is charged with murder.

Harvey is charged with murder, larceny of a vehicle, failure to register as a sex offender, breaking and entering and a probation violation.

Harvey has denied killing Hamilton, saying she died in her sleep from a drug overdose. A preliminary autopsy report said there were no obvious signs of physical trauma on Hamilton's body.

However, after initially suggesting that the murder charge could be dropped, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe said Wednesday that it stands.

“Last night, we formally presented him with those charges,” Monroe said. “Murder is still one of those charges and there's nothing that we see that's changed that.”

Neither police nor prosecutors have said how exactly the murder charge applies in the case. However, veteran Charlotte attorney James Wyatt said drugs could be considered a deadly weapon.

“It’s possible the state could try to fit this into the felony murder rule, arguing that if he injected her with drugs, that's a deadly weapon,” Wyatt said.

Police are still waiting for the results of Hamilton's toxicology report.

Previous Stories: September 29, 2010: Search Warrants Shed New Light On Hamilton Case September 24, 2010: Concord Police Chief Expresses Doubt About Murder Charge September 21, 2010: Suspect In Hamilton's Death To Return To NC From NY September 17, 2010: Police ‘Greatly Concerned’ For Missing Woman’s Safety