A teenage boy and three men accused of murdering a man in his own home will stand trial later this year.
Thomas Edmunds, 36, suffered a serious head injury in an incident in Clorain Road, Kirkby, at around 10.30pm, on Sunday, May 9.
Mr Edmunds, known by his family as Tommy, was taken to hospital, where he died on the morning of Monday, May 10.
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A post-mortem examination later found that Mr Edmunds died of asphyxiation.
Terence Bennett, 34, Thomas Broadhurst, 32, Kevin Nethercote, 48, and the boy, 16, who cannot be named for legal reasons, all deny his murder.
The four defendants, who are all from Croxteth, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court for a short plea and trial preparation hearing this morning.
Broadhurst and Nethercote pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob Mr Edmunds on May 9, a charge which Bennett and the juvenile denied.
Bennett, of Sovereign Hey; Broadhurst, of Regal Road; Nethercote, of Regal Road; and the 16-year-old, were all further remanded in custody until November 15, when their trial is due to begin.
The trial is estimated to last two to three weeks.
Mr Edmunds' family previously released a poignant tribute saying he had "so much to live for".
Sharing a photo of Thomas, known by many as 'Tommy', his family described him as "the life and soul of the party".
In a statement they said: "Our Tommy was loved by everyone.
"He could not enter the room without making everyone smile. He was the life and soul of the party.
"We cannot express how devastated we are as a family.
"He was a young man with so much to live for, his life has been cut short. We will miss him so much.
"As a family we have taken comfort from the lovely response from the community and thank them all for all their support.
"Tommy will be sadly missed but never forgotten."
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