Guardsman a Suspect in 18 Slayings
Authorities said Wednesday that a National Guardsman charged with murder in the death of a 16-year-old prostitute is a suspect in as many as 17 other slayings in Washington state.
DNA testing was underway Wednesday comparing blood samples taken from Robert L. Yates Jr. of Spokane and evidence from the various crime scenes.
Detectives have linked the murders of at least 10 prostitutes in Spokane and Tacoma in 1997 and 1998 to a single killer and say eight other slain women are possible victims of the same person.
Spokane County Sheriff Mark Sterk said Wednesday that Yates--a father of five who was arrested early Tuesday as he drove to work--is a suspect in all of them but is charged in only one.
“We feel like we’ve arrested the person responsible for up to 18 homicides in our community,” Sterk told reporters.
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