The man accused of murdering Marcus Luke Tucker whose badly bashed body was found burned and dumped by a Canterbury lake has pleaded not guilty today.

Peter John Carroll, 51, denies killing Tucker on April 24 - the day before his body was found on Anzac Day.

Carroll, of Bishopdale entered the not guilty plea at the High Court in Christchurch this morning.

George Perry Waata, a 51-year of Opawa, today entered a plea of not guilty to assaulting Tucker with an intent to injure him on April 24.

He appeared in court hobbling on crutches. His defence counsel Josh Lucas said he will apply for bail on July 5.

Anthony Richard Dawson, a 28-year-old supervisor from Leeston, is yet to enter a plea to a charge that on April 24, at Leeston, knowing that a murder had been committed, he helped Carroll by actively suppressing evidence to help him avoid arrest.

A 31-year-old woman, with interim name suppression, who has been charged with conspiring with Carroll to assault Tucker and also with being an accessory after the fact to murder is also yet to plead.

Justice Cameron Mander remanded all four accused in custody for a case review hearing on July 29.

A man in the public gallery called each accused a "piece of s***" as they were led back into custody.

The body of Mr Tucker, 36, was found dumped near Lake Ellesmere on Drain Rd, Doyleston on Anzac Day.

He was severely assaulted before his body was burned and then reportedly wrapped in some material, police say.