A man linked by DNA to the strangling deaths of three women in a gritty, high-crime section of Philadelphia was detained Monday, police said.
Philadelphia police detained suspected serial strangler Antonio Rodriguez on Monday while DNA testing is checked to see if he is linked to the sexual assault and murder of at least three women in the central Philadelphia neighborhood of Kensington.
Antonio Rodriguez, 21, is a homeless man considered “extremely dangerous” according to police. He is suspected of killing Casey Mahoney, 27; Elaine Goldberg, 21; and Nicole Piacentini, 35, Clark said.
In December 2010, a 33-year-old woman was pulled into an alley and escaped, despite being choked, punched and hit on the head with a brick.
Police think she may have been the victim of the same attacker.
Police have not released details about how they linked Antonio Rodriguez to the murder investigation.