A Colorado Springs man accused of gunning down two managers during a workplace meeting at an Elks Lodge pleaded not guilty against his lawyers’ advice to two counts of first-degree murder Tuesday morning.

Lamar Taylor, 44, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder among several charges related to the Sept. 9 shooting at an Elks Lodge near The Citadel mall. The pleas, defense attorney Christopher Witt said, were against lawyers’ advice, adding he wanted to delay Tuesday’s hearing while investigators continued their research into Taylor’s case.

Taylor, however, indicated concerns about his right to a speedy trial, and chose to enter the not guilty pleas after a lengthy discussion with Witt.

Taylor’s pleas come after a December preliminary hearing in which Fourth Judicial District Judge Marcus Henson, following prosecutors’ presentation of several hours’ worth of evidence, ruled they had enough for Taylor to face trial for the murders of 58-year-old James Love and 62-year-old Kevin Patterson.

That evidence included video surveillance footage of the shooting itself, digital image mapping of the crime scene, and reference to testimony identifying Taylor in the footage and images.

Authorities also pointed to the United States Marshals Service’s recovery of a semi-automatic shotgun, which prosecutors believe Taylor used in a shooting spree following the meeting where the murders took place. The shotgun was found when Taylor was apprehended in Florida in mid-September, along with the vehicle they believe, based on surveillance footage, he used to get away.

Taylor was arrested by United States Marshals Service and booked into a Miami-Dade County jail Sept. 17, according to jail records. Colorado Springs police identified him Sept. 14 in connection to the shooting at the Elks Lodge at 3680 North Citadel Drive, five days after it took place.

What was said during the meeting on Sept. 9 that precipitated the murders is under question, authorities said in December.

In arrest papers filed in September, police said the meeting was generally about a sign for Taylor’s catering business, which also operated out of the Elks Lodge building, being taken down, but indicated in December there were “some variations” in descriptions of the meeting and its subject matter.

Taylor, also accused of several counts of attempted first-degree murder in a shooting spree outside the Elks Lodge, was set for trial in June. He’s being held at the El Paso County jail with no bond, and is next due in court in March.