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MARTINEZ — Three friends accused of killing a retired Concord couple and 22-year-old Selina Bishop, daughter of blues guitarist Elvin Bishop, appeared in court to schedule a preliminary hearing. 

Glenn Helzer, 30, his brother, Justin, 29 and housemate Dawn Godman, 27, were arrested eight months ago and charged with extorting $100,000 from Ivan Stineman, 85, and his 78-year-old wife, Annette, then killing them and Bishop, Glenn Helzer’s girlfriend. 

The dismembered remains of Bishop and the Stinemans were discovered in duffel bags in the Mokelumne River in August. 

Bishop’s mother, Jennifer Villarin, 45, and her mother’s companion, 54-year-old James Gamble, were found shot to death Aug. 3 at Bishop’s home in Marin County. 

The trio, who appeared in court Thursday, also is charged in Contra Costa Superior Court with those two slayings.  

They have pleaded innocent to all charges. 

The amount of evidence, more than 10,000 pages and thousands of physical exhibits from several police agencies, prompted defense attorneys to request more time to prepare for the hearing. 

“This is an investigation the likes of which has not been seen in this county,” said Dan Cook, one of Justin Helzer’s attorneys. 

Defense attorneys have not yet seen the physical evidence, which includes “everything from the mundane to the ridiculous,” said Suzanne Chapot, Glenn Helzer’s attorney. 

Authorities spent days last summer combing the trio’s house and they seized numerous items including duct tape, stained carpet, a machete and a manual for an electric saw, according to court records.