The trial for a man Daytona Beach police say is linked to a serial killer case will begin on Friday.
Robert Hayes, 37, was arrested in September 2019 on first-degree murder charges for the March 2016 death of Rachel Bey, 32.
Police said Hayes was identified as the man behind at least three unsolved murders in Daytona Beach from 2005-2006.
Former Daytona Beach police Chief Craig Capri said investigators linked DNA from a 2016 Palm Beach murder suspect to their case.
Capri said Hayes was named a suspect in the deaths of Julie Green, Laquetta Gunther and Iwana Patton.
An arrest affidavit said investigators used DNA from a cigarette smoked by Hayes to link him to the DNA found on the victims.
Capri said Hayes was a student at Bethune-Cookman University when the killings happened.
Investigators said Hayes was one of hundreds of people interviewed when the killing occurred because he had purchased a similar gun to the murder weapon in the area.
Capri said there was no physical or forensic evidence to link him to the crime at the time.
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