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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 8 June 2022
Police: DNA technology connects man to Florida serial rapes

By FREIDA FRISARO Detectives worked with
Associated Press prosecutors to bring six sex-
MIAMI (AP) — Advanced ual assault charges against
DNA technology helped Koehler.
detectives link the cases "When I found my first case,
of six women to a man ac- it actually saddened me to
cused of being the "pillow- have to reach out to that
case rapist" for a string of victim and have her re-
rapes back in the 1980s. live what had happened
Robert Koehler is currently so many years ago," Floyd
jailed in neighboring Miami- said.
Dade County, where he It was heartbreaking in
faces charges for assault- many cases, she added,
ing a woman in the early because some women
'80s as well, Broward Coun- had not even told their
ty Sheriff Gregory Tony said families what had hap-
in a Tuesday morning news pened to them. She said
conference. some of the victims told her
Authorities believe Koehler, they would need to talk it
62, may have committed over with their families be-
40 to 45 rapes, terrifying vic- fore discussing it with her.
tims by breaking into their "But when they did decide
homes at night, the sheriff to come back and were
said. The assailant used a Robert Eugene Koehler sits in court at his first appearance before Judge David Silverman via brave enough to discuss it
pillowcase or other fabric closed circuit on Jan. 21, 2020 at the Brevard County Jail in Sharpes, Fla with me, I was very proud
to cover his face — or the Associated Press of them," she said.
face of his victims — before Their stories were all similar.
assaulting them, tying them cord-keeping on the origi- That led her to several oth- Dade County announced They lived alone. They were
up and stealing items from nal cases provided detec- er similar crimes in Broward Koehler's arrest and said assaulted at night, and the
their homes. tives the ability to test the County. he was thought to be the attacker apparently knew
The assaults by the pillow- evidence decades later. "It was a hunch," Floyd said "pillowcase rapist" whose their habits, including in
case rapist attracted ex- They dug through 500 box- linking the first case she knifepoint attacks put some cases the layout of
tensive media attention es of evidence and thou- found to Koehler. "It was a women across South Flor- their apartments.
in South Florida and the sands of sexual assault cas- hunch based specifically ida on edge beginning in Now, those victims are very
creation of a task force to es to link the cases to Koe- on this case, that he used 1981. relieved to know the man
investigate the sex crimes, hler, said Sgt. Kami Floyd. a pillowcase to cover his Floyd got a search war- who attacked them may
sheriff's officials said. Floyd began looking face, and at no point was rant for Koehler's DNA and be brought to justice, she
But the trail eventually through the files in 2019 she able to identify who testing done by the sheriff's said.
turned cold and the cases and found the case of a he was because she didn't office crime lab found it "Several of them have com-
ended up in the cold case woman who was assault- know what he looked like." matched the evidence in mented that they hope
unit. However, sheriff's offi- ed in her Pompano Beach Around the same time, in the cases she was investi- more women will come for-
cials said the meticulous re- apartment in June 1984. 2020, prosecutors in Miami- gating, she said. ward," Floyd said.q

Former Rep. Giffords tells Congress ‘be

bold’ on gun reform

vases of white and orange cause has been given fresh ton and other cities. But
flowers representing each momentum by a new string whatever reform package
of the Americans killed by of mass shootings around passes the Democrat-con-
gun violence each year. the country, from an ele- trolled House of Represen-
"We must never stop fight- mentary school in Texas to tatives is in danger of be-
ing. Be bold. Be coura- a grocery store in Buffalo, ing watered down by the
geous. The nation is count- New York, and a medical Republicans in the Senate.
ing on you." Giffords, was clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tuesday's press conference
shot in the head in 2011 The violence has spurred a was part of a campaign to
while speaking to constitu- flurry of activity in the na- build pressure on Congress
Former congresswoman and gun violence survivor Gabby ents in a mass shooting in tion's capital, with Demo- and argue that American
Giffords stands among vases of flowers that make up the Gun Tucson, Arizona, that killed crats in Congress pushing public opinion favors seri-
Violence Memorial installation near the Washington Monument six people. Her injuries from for sweeping reforms that ous reform of gun laws at
on the National Mall in Washington, Tuesday, June 7, 2022. the assassination attempt include raising the national a national level. "We know
Associated Press left her with difficulty walk- age limit to purchase a gun what the solutions are.
By ASHRAF KHALIL Tuesday and lobbied anew ing and occasional difficul- and banning automatic We've seen them work in
Associated Press for stricter gun laws after ty speaking. weapons. Families of the some states and we've
WASHINGTON (AP) — Elev- yet another string of mass She has emerged as an victims in the most recent certainly seen it in other
en years after her own life shootings in America. advocate for nationwide mass shootings spoke be- countries," said Sen. Amy
was massively altered by "Stopping gun violence gun control laws; the foun- fore the Senate Judiciary Klobuchar, D-Minn., Raising
gun violence, former con- takes courage, the cour- dation she created placed Committee Tuesday, with the national age limit to 21,
gresswoman Gabby Gif- age to do what's right," the flowers around the more hearings planned in "would be a major game
fords stood in front of the Giffords said, surrounded Washington Monument. advance of mass marches changer in a lot of these
Washington Monument by more than 45,000 small Giffords' long-standing this weekend in Washing- shootings," she said.q