Ex-Sailor May Have Murdered Scores of Women, Police Say

A former sailor fought back tears during his arraignment Friday on charges he murdered five prostitutes as police worldwide tried to match his account of at least 11 other slayings to information they have about unsolved murders in their cities.

John Eric Armstrong, 26, of Dearborn Heights, was arraigned on five counts of premeditated first-degree murder and three counts of assault with intent to murder. Innocent pleas were entered on his behalf, and he was ordered held without bond.

Asked by reporters how he felt, Armstrong whispered: “So bad.”

Police said Armstrong is suspected in at least 11 other slayings since 1992: three in the Seattle area, two in Hawaii, two in Hong Kong and one each in North Carolina, Virginia, Thailand and Singapore. All the victims, except for one man in Seattle, were women.

Armstrong, who from 1993 to 1999 was a Navy refueler aboard the aircraft carrier Nimitz, may have killed while the ship was in port around the world, police said. He could also be linked to the deaths of several prostitutes in Japan, Korea and Israel.

“Once he began to talk, he was freely giving very intimate details about the case,” said Det. James Hines of the Wayne County sheriff’s office.

Police said Armstrong told them he killed because he hated prostitutes.

Some investigators warned that Armstrong, a husband and father, may be exaggerating. Though police say they have physical evidence linking him to the strangulations of five Detroit-area prostitutes, agencies elsewhere said they have been unable to tie him to any unsolved slayings.

“There are gaps in his timeline that we are concerned about,” police Cmdr. Dennis Richardson told the Detroit Free Press. “However, nothing outside of Michigan has been confirmed yet.”

Police Sgt. Arlie Lovier said officials haven’t ruled out any leads that Armstrong has given them.