DEVILS LAKE (AP) - The man charged in the stabbing death of a teacher at the North Dakota School for the Deaf answered "yes" when asked in court if he understood the charge against him.

Billy Eagleman, 26, made a brief appearance Monday before Judge Donovan Foughty, who continued his bail at $500,000 cash.

Eagleman is charged with Class AA murder in the death of Paula Hartze, 43, on March 1.

Hartze's body was found a day later in her Devils Lake home. Police said she died of stab wounds to the torso. They found no signs of forced entry.

Eagleman told the judge Monday that he has been living in a Devils Lake motel and is unemployed.

Prosecutor Lonnie Olson said he expects Eagleman's next court appearance in two weeks. The Class AA murder charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole.

Olson said earlier that Eagleman and Hartze knew each other, but he would not elaborate.

Hartze, an English teacher at the School for the Deaf, grew up in Dickinson. She had taught at the Devils Lake school for 13 years.