A man suspected of beating his father to death with a 12-pound dumbbell in University City entered a not guilty plea on Friday to murder charges. 

Nikola Chivatchev, 24, was taken into custody Wednesday after he was suspected of killing his father, Alexander Chivatchev, 64. If he is found guilty of murder and use of a deadly weapon, the son could be sentenced to serve 26 years to life in jail. 

San Diego Superior Court Judge David Szumowski placed Nikola Chivatchev’s bail at $1 million after attorneys discussed the incident. 

Deputy District Attorney Michael McCann reported that Chivatchev, who was born in Bulgaria, has made other attacks and threats against other people before this attack and had been dealt with by the police. There were no charges placed against him for previous events.

On Wednesday, police received a call to report to the La Jolla Crossroads apartment complex on Judicial Drive at Golden Haven Drive around 1:15 a.m. They arrived to discover the father lying on the floor dead inside the apartment. 

McCann informed the judge Friday that Alexander Chivatchev was sleeping in his room when his son approached him and bashed him over the head multiple times with the dumbbell. 

Deputy Public Defender Allen Cazares argued that Nikola Chivatchev has no criminal record other than a DUI he received earlier this year. It was difficult to determine whether Chivatchev had been charged in his previous DUI case.