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An April trial date for a Potomac teen accused of robbing and killing a Gaithersburg man was set in Montgomery County Circuit court on Friday.

Artie Ellis, 16, of the 7700 block of Scotland Drive, will face trial for the murder and robbery of Ali Reza Zare, 57, on April 19. He is charged along with his girlfriend, Potomac resident Emily Drew Geller, 18. Both are charged as adults in the case, though Ellis' lawyer, Rene Sandler, has filed a motion to have his case sent to juvenile court.

Ellis, who is being held along with Geller at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility near Clarksburg, appeared in court for the scheduling hearing on Friday afternoon.

Zare's body was found the morning of May 10 by a jogger on the Bells Mill Road walking path, located near Bells Mill Elementary School and Cabin John Middle School. The two teenagers lured Zare into a secluded area, struck him on the head with a shovel, robbed him and left him to die on a walking path, Gerald Collins, an assistant state's attorney, alleged at Geller's bail review hearing Oct. 15.

At Geller's hearing, Collins said that Geller was acquainted with Zare, though police have not said how they knew each other. On May 9, several phone calls were placed between Zare's cell phone and the land line at the Potomac home where Geller lived with her parents, Donald and Madelaine, a half-mile from where Zare's body was found the following day, according to court documents.

Court documents allege the two stole numerous items from Zare, including a blue Subaru and credit cards. Geller's fingerprints were later found on the car, which had been abandoned near Seven Locks Elementary School. Police uncovered Zare's cell phone at Ellis' home after executing a search warrant in May. Police also uncovered a shovel, which Collins said is believed to be the murder weapon, at Geller's home after conducting a search warrant Oct. 14.

Two teens matching the couple's descriptions attempted to make withdrawals from a Bank of America cash machine at the Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda the day following the murder, court documents state.

Both teens were indicted on six counts, including murder and robbery with a dangerous and deadly weapon.

Geller's next court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 4. Mary Victoria Tyler, a lawyer for Geller, has declined comment. Family members of both Geller and Ellis have also declined comment.