Local News

Ohio man accused of 3 sexual assaults and 1 murder

MARION, Ind. (WOWO): An Ohio man was arrested after police say he is connected to three sexual assaults and a Marion murder.

Roman Cruz Urista Jr., 61, is accused of killing Betty L. Payne and is tied to three sexual assaults, according to Fort Wayne’s NBC.

Police found Payne sexually assaulted and strangled inside her home in the 1000 block of South Gallatin, Marion on May 12, 2003. At the time, crews collected DNA evidence.

The Indiana State Police Laboratory contacted the Marion Police Department for the first time in October 2003. They found a match from a 2001 Ohio sexual assault case.

Marion police received another call in December of 2015. ISP investigators found another match in a 2008 Ohio sexual assault case. Then, in October 2016, police found another match. It was connected to a 2000 Florida sexual assault case.

Urista Jr. is connected to all cases, according to police. Police found him in Ohio and arrested him. He was booked into the Hamilton County Jail on a murder warrant charge.

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