The man who Philadelphia police believe could be the Kensington Strangler has confessed to four murders, sources have told NBC station WCAU.
DNA links Antonio Rodriguez, 21, to three murders in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, police said at a Monday night news conference.
During that news conference, a 911 call came in saying that Rodriguez was hiding out in a house on the 3300 block of Mutter Street in Kensington.
An officer saw Rodriguez heading into the house. The person of interest then fled on foot but was caught nearby, police said.
Rodriguez and two other people inside the house were taken in for questioning.
Sources say that during the questioning, Rodriguez confessed to four murders, though police say that DNA only links him to three.
Rodriguez is about 5-foot-9, 155 pounds with a large scar from his left ear to the middle of his throat with various tattoos including name "Kiera" tattooed on his left arm and "Scorpio" on his right.
He is fluent in Spanish and English and has an arrest record, cops said.
Rodriguez is homeless but frequents the Kensington area, police said.
Police zeroed in on Rodriguez after State Police told Philly detectives that DNA matched him to the three murders.
DNA results link the Kensington Strangler to the December beating, rape and murder of Casey Mahoney and the November killings of Elaine Goldberg and Nicole Piacentini, police said.
It is unclear if the man seen in sketches who was believed to be the Kensington Strangler is Rodriguez.
"Let's get this psycho off the streets of Philadelphia," Mayor Nutter said on the day that Mahoney's murder was linked to the two earlier strangulation.
On Monday police appeared closer to that goal.
"I'm so happy... I'm just really really happy," said Piacentini's mother, Christine, after the arrest was made.
"An officer notified me told me they were gonna get warrants for his arrest that they knew where he was and were just waiting to pick him up."
