Zalzul Kamar Abdul Ghani, 53, nodded after the charge was read to him before magistrate Tengku Eliana Tuan Kamaruzaman, Buletin TV3 reported.

No plea was recorded as murder cases fall under the High Court’s jurisdiction.

The accused was charged with murdering Norshamira Zainal at the Sungai Kuantan jetty area along Jalan Padang Lalang between 7.30pm and 8.30pm on Feb 12.

The charge, under Section 302 of the Penal Code, is punishable by death, or 30 to 40 years’ imprisonment and a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane, upon conviction.

Pahang prosecution director Sharizat Ismail and deputy public prosecutor B Deevagaran Naidu prosecuted while the accused was unrepresented.

The court denied Zalzul bail and set April 10 for case mention.

The “cash-on- delivery” case had drawn a lot of attention from the public and media.