MIAMI — Detectives used advanced DNA technology to link six cases against a man suspected of being the “pillowcase rapper” in a series of rapes that took place back in 1980s.
Robert Koehler is currently in Miami-Dade County. He faces charges of assaulting a woman during the early 1980s, Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony stated in a Tuesday morning news conference.
The sheriff stated that Koehler, who is 62, could have committed between 40 and 45 rapes. He may also have terrorized victims by entering their homes at night. Before he attacked his victims, the assailant covered their faces with a pillowcase or another fabric before tying them up.
According to sheriff’s officers, the assaults of the pillowcase rapist attracted a lot of media attention in South Florida. The task force was formed to investigate the sex crimes.
The cold case unit was formed after the trail became cold. Officials from the sheriff’s office said that detectives were able to examine the evidence decades later because of the meticulous records kept on the original cases.
According to Sgt. Kami Floyd.
Floyd began to look through the files in 2019, and discovered the case of a woman who had been assaulted in her Pompano Beach home in June 1984. This led to her being able to identify other similar crimes in Broward County.
Floyd stated that she had a “hunch” linking the first case she found with Koehler. “It was a guess based on this case. He used a pillowcase for his face. She didn’t know who he was.
In 2020, Miami-Dade County prosecutors announced Koehler’s arrest. They said that he was the “pillowcase rapper” who knifepointed women in South Florida starting in 1981.
Floyd obtained a warrant to search for Koehler’s DNA. She said that testing by the sheriff’s office crime laboratory found that it was consistent with the evidence she was investigating.
Six charges of sexual assault were brought against Koehler by detectives and prosecutors.
Floyd stated, “When I discovered my first case it was actually saddened that I had to reach out and have that victim relive what had occurred so many years back.”
She said that it was often heartbreaking because many victims had not told their families about what happened. She stated that some victims had told her they needed to discuss the matter with their families before she could help them.
She said, “But when they did come back and were brave enough for me to discuss it, I was very proud”
They shared many similarities. They lived together. They lived alone.
She said that the victim’s are relieved to hear that the attacker may be prosecuted.
Floyd stated that Floyd was one of many who commented on Floyd’s hope for more women to come forward.
Floyd stated that there are many cases of sexual assault in cold case files. Many of these cases date back to before computers were invented, which makes it hard to match them.
