Before a crime is formally indicted, you have the right to "stand mute" before the court and not plead anything. It's unusual, but it has certain utility, especially in a case that may result in a plea deal if the death penalty is taken off the table. Typically a Court will proceed with these type of matters as if the defendant entered a not guilty plea, because of the presumption of innocence.
I expect that they are subjecting him to heavy brainwashing techniques intended to get him to believe things that aren't true about the incident. Intensive (10-12 hours daily) "therapy" coupled with, complete isolation along with the right drugs can easily mindfuck most people.
They seem to be washing up on beaches. Not sure if they've been opened, the pic from the news I saw showed a sealed container.