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DETROIT (WWJ) - A man described by Detroit police as a serial killer is headed to trial for the murders of four women whose bodies were found in vacant homes on the city's east side.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office says a Preliminary Examination was held Thursday for Deangelo Kenneth Martin, and he was bound over in all four cases by Judge Kenneth King.
Martin, 34, remains held without bond on multiple first degree murder and third degree criminal sexual conduct charges.
The victims in the case are 57-year-old Anetta Nelson, found February 26, 2018, in the 11620 block of Winthrop; 52-year-old Nancy Harrison, found March 19, 2019, in the 20070 block of Coventry; 55-year-old Travesene Ellis, found on March 24, 2019, in the 13700 block of Linnhurst; and 55-year-old Tamara Jones, found June 5, 2019, in the 3690 block of Mack Avenue.
Each of the female victims was found positioned face down with a used condom nearby, according to police. While two of the bodies were so decomposed that a cause of death could not be determined, autopsies found the other two died from blunt force trauma.
In addition to the murders, Martin was previously ordered to stand trial in the stabbing and sexual assault of a 26-year-old woman in May, and in the kidnapping and assault of a 51-year-old woman in June. Both of those women survived.
The case captured the close attention of media and the public when Detroit police officers were assigned by the chief to go door-to-door, searching every open vacant house on the east side, looking for additional victims.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy says in addition to the four cases listed above, investigators are also looking into additional cases that might be tied to Martin.
"We are confident that this defendant’s alleged criminal and predatory actions link him to all four of these homicides, as well as the two sexual assault cases that we charged him with previously," Worthy said, in a statement. "The details will be presented in court, and we will continue to pursue any and all evidence that may connect him to further crimes."
It's not yet clear when the trial may began.
Martin's next scheduled court appearance is an Arraignment on the Information, set for September 20, before Judge Regina Thomas.