Serial Killing Suspect Charged in 2nd Case

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A man who claims to have killed more than 70 people was charged Thursday with murdering a prostitute in 1985.

Until the arrest warrant was issued, Donald Leroy Evans, 34, had only been charged in Mississippi with the murder of a homeless girl.

The Florida warrant charges Evans with first-degree murder in death of Ira Jean Smith, 38. Her body was found wrapped in a blanket and stuffed in a motel closet, said Ft. Lauderdale police spokesman Ott Cefkin.

“He knew things about the crime scene that only the killer would know,” Cefkin said. “We’re satisfied that . . . he was there and he did kill her.”