WFLA

Florida ‘pillowcase rapist’ arrested thanks to DNA tech, officials say

Broward Sheriff's Office Cold Case Unit Sgt. Kami Floyd, right, speaks as Sheriff Gregory Tony looks on during a news conference, Tuesday, June 7, 2022, at the BSO Public Safety Building in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Authorities announced that they were able to identify and charge a man known as the "Pillowcase Rapist," Robert Koehler, for multiple sexual assault cases in Broward County in the 1980's. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

MIAMI (AP) — Advanced DNA technology helped detectives link the cases of six women to a man accused of being the “pillowcase rapist” for a string of rapes back in the 1980s.

Robert Koehler is currently jailed in Miami-Dade County, where he faces charges for assaulting a woman in the early ’80s as well.

Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony said Tuesday that Koehler may have committed 40 to 45 rapes, terrifying victims by breaking into their homes at night.

He allegedly used a pillowcase or other fabric to cover his face — or their face — before assaulting them, tying them up and stealing items from their homes.