The parents of Alexander James Letkemann, a suspect in the murder and beheading of River Rouge resident Daniel Sorensen, made a tearful plea on behalf of their son in a televised news conference Wednesday.

"The kid that they're talking about on TV is not my son," said Peter Letkemann, Alexander's father. "Is not my son," he repeated.

Alexander's mother, Diane Letkemann, said in a message to her son that was barely audible as she choked back tears. "Stay strong. We love you so much."

This may be the last opportunity they'll have to speak to the media, as a gag order is expected to be enforced in the next few days.

The alleged leader in the killing, Canton High School student Jean Pierre Orlewicz, has a Web page on MySpace.com featuring a drawing of a skull and a quote that reads: "Give what you can, take what you need."

He describes himself as 17 years old and from Canton, and his last login was November 8, the day after Sorensen was murdered.

According to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy Orlewicz and Alexander James Letkemann, 18, had carefully planned the attack on Sorensen for no other reason than the thrill of it.

The two are being held without bond at the Wayne County Jail after being charged with two counts of murder and one count of mutilation of a corpse.

The two were arraigned Monday at the 34th District Court in Romulus and a "not guilty" plea has been entered on their behalf. A preliminary exam date of Nov. 19 has been set.

Worthy said in a news conference Monday that neither money nor drugs appeared to be the motive when Orlewicz allegedly lured Sorensen, 26, to Orlewicz's grandfather's home on Nov. 7 "for the purpose of killing him."

Orlewicz then allegedly attacked Sorensen from behind, cutting his throat with a kitchen knife. Sorensen was killed by "multiple stab wounds to the back." Orlewicz then allegedly beheaded Sorensen's body with a hacksaw and burned the body with a blowtorch in an attempt to conceal his fingerprints.

The body was wrapped into a tarp that had been laid out in the garage ahead of time. Orlewicz then placed the head into a Rubbermaid container.

According to testimony at the arraignment, Orlewicz had trouble lifting the body into his pickup truck. So he asked Letkemann, a graduate of Livonia Public Schools, to come over and help him.

The body was then brought to Hidden Ridge Drive in Northville Township and his head dumped into the Rouge River near the Detroit/Dearborn border.

Canton police confirmed earlier reports that Sorensen was a registered sex offender, but police and Worthy emphasized that investigators have found no connection between the victim's sex offender status and his murder.

Worthy said her office is looking at other "persons of interest" in the case.

The suspects face charges of first degree homicide and felony murder, both of which carry life sentences; and mutilation of a body, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Worthy praised law enforcement officials from scattered communities who pooled their resources to make the arrests in the case.

She expressed her shock at the nature of the crime.

"Even though we have seen it all, or think we've seen it all, still a crime like this surprises us all," Worthy said during the news conference Monday. "It makes us think and ask a lot of questions about our society."