Rape Suspect Faces Charges in Possible Serial Slayings
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico -- A man being held in the state prison in Ciudad Juarez on rape charges will be charged with murder in the deaths of four young women whose bodies were found dumped in the desert, police said today.
Abdel Tarif Sharif, who is also known by various aliases, has for months been the focus of the investigation in the deaths of as many as nine women, all of whom were left in a remote area in the southern part of the city.
The discovery of the bodies last year touched off a massive manhunt.
Investigators said witnesses have told them that Sharif had known the four victims identified so far and had been seen with at least two of them just prior to their disappearances.
Francisco Minjarez, the lead investigator in the case, said several similarities in the deaths have also led police to suspect Sharif.
Among other things, the four identified women were killed in a similar manner and resembled one another. Minjarez said Sharif also has a history of violence toward women.
"We have the testimony of several women who were sexually assaulted by Sharif and they have told us of the violence he employs during sex," Minjarez said this morning.
Minjarez said authorities are waiting to gather more evidence before formally charging Sharif, who is also known as Abdel Latif Sharif and Sharif Halil Sharif.
Sharif has repeatedly denied any involvement in the killings. Since October, he has been held at the CERESO state prison on a rape charge not related to the killings.
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