SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A Mountain View man accused of killing three colleagues at a Silicon Valley semiconductor company Friday afternoon appeared in Santa Clara County Superior Court Wednesday to be arraigned on murder charges.

Jing Hua Wu, 47, was charged with three counts of murder, with a special allegation on each count that he personally used a firearm, as well as the special circumstances charge of killing multiple victims, Deputy District Attorney Jeff Rosen said.

Wu, in handcuffs and orange jail clothing covered by a yellow T-shirt, stood before Judge Jerome Nadler today. He looked down as cameras leaned in, and Wu's Public Defender attorneys Michael Ogul and Ken Mandel delayed entering a plea and waived time for a preliminary hearing.

Wu quietly answered in the affirmative when asked if he waived time and if his name was spelled correctly.

If convicted on all charges and special allegations, Wu could face up to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The special circumstances charge also makes Wu eligible for the death penalty if the District Attorney's Office decides to seek it, according to Rosen.

"It's a very careful process that takes us many months to decide," Rosen said.

Wu is charged with killing SiPort CEO Sid Agrawal, 56, of Fremont; Vice President of Operations Brian Pugh, 47, of Los Altos; and Human Resources Manager Marilyn Lewis, 67, of San Jose.

Wu was fired Friday morning from his job as an engineer in testing and production at SiPort Inc., which makes chips for high-definition radios, Santa Clara police Lt. Mike Sellers said.

The company fired Wu, who worked for SiPort for more than 2 years, due to performance-related issues, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Later that day, Wu contacted executives at the company to arrange a meeting to discuss his separation from the company, according to Sellers.

"Obviously they didn't sense any kind of reason to be alarmed by his behavior," Sellers said.

Rosen would not confirm that a meeting was arranged ahead of time, but said Wu returned to the business at 3255 Scott Blvd., No. 7 later that day.

Witnesses said they saw Wu entering Agrawal's office, where Wu allegedly shot Pugh, Lewis and Agrawal with a 9 mm handgun.

Officers were called to the business on reports of multiple gunshots and found Agrawal, Pugh and Lewis in Agrawal's office suffering from fatal gunshot wounds.

Employees in the office at the time of the shooting were able to quickly identify Wu as the shooter and reported that he was seen carrying a handgun after they heard gunshots, the district attorney's office reported.

Wu allegedly fled the building before police arrived and was seen driving away in a rented silver Mercury Mariner sport utility vehicle, Sellers said.

After extensive searches, officers found Wu walking through a parking lot in Mountain View Saturday morning. Police found a 9 mm handgun in the trunk of Wu's rental car parked nearby.

Rosen said he would not comment on Wu's mental state, a possible motive or anything else that could affect an investigation into the shootings.

"I don't want to speculate about why the defendant murdered three of his coworkers because I am ethically bound to preserve his right to a fair trial and to allow the police to conduct a thorough and objective investigation," Rosen said.

Outside the courtroom this afternoon, Ogul said he and his co-counsel know little about the case so far.

Ogul would not comment on Wu's state of mind except to say his client is "very sad."

"I think that it's natural for him to be very sad at this point," Ogul said.

Wu remains in Santa Clara County Jail on no bail status and is scheduled to return to court Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. for further arraignment.

Meanwhile, memorial and funeral services have been set up in honor of the victims.

A service for Agrawal was held Wednesday morning at the Lima Family Milpitas-Fremont Mortuary, 48800 Warm Springs Blvd. in Fremont, mortuary staff said.

In lieu of flowers, family members have requested donations be sent to Ashish Agrawal for Sid Agrawal Memorial Fund, 47000 Warm Springs Blvd., No. 140, Fremont, Calif. 94539, mortuary staff said.

A memorial and funeral service for Pugh will be held Friday at 1 p.m.

A memorial for Lewis will be held Thursday at 1 p.m.

Donations in Lewis' name can be mailed to the Greater Bay Area Make a Wish Foundation, 235 Pine St., Sixth Floor, San Francisco, Calif. 94104. Lewis' name should be written on the check so the family can be notified, staff said.

SiPort has established a fund through the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Donations to the fund can be mailed to Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Attn: SiPort Memorial Fund, 2440 W. El Camino Real, Suite 300, Mountain View, Calif. 94040. SiPort Memorial Fund should also be written on the check memo line, staff said.