Prosecutors Seek Death in Serial Killing Case
A man accused of raping and killing five women in Louisiana was ordered held without bond Thursday as prosecutors said they will seek a death sentence.
Derrick Todd Lee, 34, made a brief initial appearance via video hookup before Commissioner Rachel Morgan of the state’s 19th Judicial District Court. The FBI returned Lee to Louisiana on Wednesday after he was captured in Atlanta the day before.
Lee was denied bond, which is customary in cases where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. The judge also said she would appoint a public defender for Lee.
East Baton Rouge Parish Dist. Atty. Doug Moreau told reporters that his office will seek the death penalty.
Lee initially was wanted in the murder and aggravated rape of Carrie Lynn Yoder, 26, a graduate student who was abducted from her home March 3.
Authorities said a DNA sample taken from Lee on May 5 matched evidence found on Yoder’s body and also linked him to the slayings of Gina Wilson Green, 41, Charlotte Murray Pace, 22, and Pamela P. Kinamore, 42, all of Baton Rouge, and Trineisha Dene Colomb, 23, of Lafayette.
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