Police: Pa. strangling suspect choked 3 during sex

[February 10, 2011]  PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Police say a 22-year-old Philadelphia man told them he strangled three women late last year after paying for sex and sometimes continued the sex acts after they died.

Antonio Rodriguez was being held for trial after a preliminary hearing Tuesday. Police say he didn't know the victims' names but recognized their photos when interviewed after his arrest last month following a DNA match.

The victims, Elaine Goldberg, Nicole Piacentini and Casey Mahoney, are described as women struggling with addiction and sometimes working the streets. Prosecutors say they tried to fight off their attacker.

Detectives who testified Tuesday say Rodriguez told them he used a condom in the attack on Mahoney because he knew police were looking for a serial strangler.

[Associated Press]

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