Kensington Strangler Suspect Antonio Rodriguez Confesses
January 18, 2011 01:15 PM EST
The Kensington Strangler is off the streets. Philadelphia police arrested who they believe to be the Kensington Strangler suspect on Monday night. Now, Antonio Rodriguez has confessed to murdering four people.
Kensington Strangler Suspect’s DNA Match Leads to Arrest
According to a Philadelphia Police news conference on Monday night, they believed there to be a DNA link between 21-year-old Antonio Rodriguez and the three murders that occurred in the Kensington neighborhood back in November and December. As the police were giving a news conference about the Rodriguez, a 911 call came in with word about his location. He was quickly found and taken into custody.
The mayor, Michael Nutter, seemed to be cautiously optimistic about the arrest. He discussed the fact that until the DNA tests are 100% confirm that Rodriquez is the person Philly police have been looking for he will not be too comfortable. "I'll also have that greater sense of comfort knowing that we absolutely, positively, 100 percent have the person off the street that we've been looking for some time," said the mayor.
Luckily for the mayor, he didn't have to wait long to have that 'greater sense of comfort.'
Kensington Strangler Suspect Confesses, Bringing Relief
On Tuesday, Antonio Rodriguez confessed to murdering four people, including the three that investigators had linked together. The Philadelphia Police seem to have gotten their Kensington Strangler.
This entire serial killer scare started with the rape and murder of Casey Mahoney in December that was later tied by DNA to the November killings of two others, Elaine Goldberg and Nicole Piacentini. The November and December attacks occurred in an area of Kensington that were well known for their drug and prostitution problems.
Over recent years, the neighborhood began to revitalize as younger artists and professionals began to make the area their home. If this is the right person, then it may go a long way to relieving the tension that residents in the area have. This would be a huge win for the community to have a serial killer off of the streets.
The Mayor and Philadelphia Police should come out of looking great, now that Antonio Rodriguez has confessed to being the Kensington Strangler. They were able to work on tips from the area, and when they had zeroed in on a suspect, were able to get word out to the community to find their man and arrest him in a matter of a few minutes time. Getting a quick confession is just an added bonus!
