county public administrator, appearing in court pleading not guilty for the murder of reporter jeff gearman>> almost sort of thought of jeff as a boxer. there was the serious side in the ring, super competitive. was a scoop machine, more scoops than baskin-robbins. he was always digging out stories, always working out sources. everybody trusted jeff. >> just really dedicated to the craft. he was really tenacious with everything that he covered. he was going to keep digging until he got to the bottom of the story or found what he was looking for. >> reporter: his death stunned the city, galvanize his fellow journalists, and raised concerns over the freedom and safety of the press. >> investigative reporter found dead yesterday morning -- >> reporter: the morning of september 3rd, the veteran reporter found dead just outside his home, stabbed seven times, signs of a struggle. >> i was just shocked. couldn't believe it. needless to say, i didn't really sleep much that night, thinking, like, who could have done this? obviously my mind went to, could it have been somebody that he had been writin