Boyfriend denies killing NYC designer

NEW YORK, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- The ex-boyfriend of a New York City fashion designer pleaded innocent in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday to charges he drowned her in a bathtub.

Nick Brooks, 24, was brought before a judge to answer charges he killed Sylvie Cachay, 33, by choking and drowning her in a tub of water in her hotel room last month.

Brooks was ordered held without bail pending a February court date.

Cachay had her own swimsuit line, Syla, and also designed for high-profile labels such as Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger and Victoria's Secret, the New York Post said.

The newspaper said police believe Brooks, son of Oscar-winning composer Joseph Brooks, had refused go along with Cachay's attempts to break up. Investigators found a note from Brooks in her purse in which he stated he did not want to end the relationship.

The elder Brooks is facing his own legal problems, having been accused of being a serial rapist.