NEW YORK — A former fashion writer pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he posed as a firefighter on Halloween, broke into the home of a female acquaintance and then sexually assaulted her for 13 hours.

Peter Braunstein, 41, said nothing else after he entered his plea on charges of kidnapping, arson, burglary, robbery, sexual abuse and assault during the brief hearing in Manhattan Superior Court.

Braunstein went on the lam for a month after his alleged victim, a former coworker, identified him to police.

He managed to elude police in spite of open sightings of him at bars and a blood-donation center. Memphis police finally caught up with him in December on a college campus, where he stabbed himself in the neck after reportedly muttering, "I'm the person you're looking for."

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Handcuffed and sporting a close buzz cut, Braunstein's scar was clearly visible to court observers during his brief appearance in jailhouse grays.

Lawyers for Braunstein indicated they were considering a mental-defect defense, but did not file a notice of intent Thursday. They have 30 days to declare such a defense.

"We are continuing our investigation. It covers a wide range," said defense attorney Robert Gottlieb outside the courthouse, flanked by his client's father, Alberto Braunstein.

When asked why he continues to support his son and fund his defense, Braunstein responded, "He's my son."

After learning that doctors in Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital, where Braunstein is being held on suicide watch, performed an evaluation of his client that was not court-ordered, Gottlieb also asked State Supreme Court Justice Brenda Soloff to prevent prosecutors from seeing any forthcoming mental evaluations of his client that are not mandated by the court.

Last month, another judge refused to grant Braunstein a mental-competency hearing to determine if he is able to stand trial and assist in his defense. Instead, she ordered a psychiatric evaluation to detect mental defects that may play into his defense.

Braunstein is slated to return to court in February for hearings on his mental state.