A Casper man pleaded not guilty today to second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who died hours after being struck in the head at a birthday party.

Investigators say Michael Lott kicked Bruce Tucker in the head following an argument at an Oct. 27 party at a Natrona County fabrication business. About noon the following day, Tucker's girlfriend found him dead inside his home.

If convicted, Lott, who also faces an aggravated assault charge, could spend life behind bars.

At Lott's preliminary hearing last month, the lead investigator in the case testified Tucker was kicked as he was getting off the ground. Tucker died of a brain injury resulting from blunt force trauma to the head.

Lott's attorney, Don Fuller, suggested Tucker could have hit his head on the floor when the owner of the business took him to the ground to settle him down following a dispute about Tucker's dancing behavior at the party. Fuller also said partiers had reported Tucker head butted a parked car that night.

In Natrona County District Court on Monday, a judge kept Lott's bond at $50,000.