BELEM, Brazil - A Brazilian man accused of ordering the death of a nun working in the Amazon region Monday denied playing a role in her slaying.

Vitalmiro Bastos de Moura told a court he had no part in the shooting death of Dorothy Stang in February 2005, Agencia Estado reported Monday.

Stang, who was 73 at the time of her death, was a long-time activist in the Amazon for workers' rights and the environment. Local ranchers and loggers had repeatedly threatened her over the years.

The family of Stang -- who was originally from Dayton, Ohio -- has maintained that justice wouldn't be served until those who ordered her death were convicted of the crime.

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