LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) _ The man charged with starting a house fire near Lafayette that killed a 6-year-old girl last year declared his innocence in backing out of a proposed plea agreement with prosecutors.

Thirty-year-year-old Ryan Moynagh was in a Tippecanoe County court Monday, where he was expected to plead guilty to murder and arson charges for the November fire death of Katelyn Sue Lane.

But Journal & Courier reports that when the judge asked Moynagh to admit his guilt, he paused and exclaimed: “I can't do this. I didn't do the crime.''

The judge then ended the hearing and set Moynagh's trial to start Oct. 14.

The plea deal set Moynagh's prison sentence at between 65 and 80 years. Prosecutors could seek life without parole if he's convicted after a trial.