Suspected 'pillowcase rapist' is in jail; police say he terrorized dozens of women in the '80s
MELBOURNE, Fla. – After more than three decades, law enforcement caught up to a 60-year-old Palm Bay man they believe to be the Pillowcase Rapist, according to multiple reports.
Authorities say the suspect attacked more than 40 women in South Florida during the early 1980s.
According to the Miami Herald, law enforcement sources identified the suspect as Robert Eugene Koehler. He was arrested Saturday and is being held at the Brevard County Jail without bond.
Koehler was arrested at his Palm Bay home Saturday when law enforcement agents from multiple counties and cities as well as the federal government swarmed his residence.
Linked to neo-Nazis: Onetime Senate candidate arrested in Melbourne on fugitive warrant charges
The Pillowcase Rapist used a pillowcase, towel or shirt to conceal his identity when he broke into homes and terrorized at least 44 women from May 1981 to February 1986, the Herald reported.
Among the victims were a schoolteacher, a nurse, an airline flight attendant, a model and a student, all but one of whom lived in townhomes or apartments, according to the report.
Alex and Erika Wentzel lived next door to Koehler until Saturday when law enforcement arrested him. The Wentzels said the neighborhood feels more at ease now that Koehler has been arrested.
"From the moment I met him, he just gave me the wrong feeling," Alex said.
"I know there are other people in the neighborhood who stay far, far away from him because of the charges from before and just the vibe that he gives off," Erika added.
Koehler, a registered sex offender, was convicted of sexual battery on a person 12 or older in Palm Beach County in 1991.
It’s not known what led authorities to pinpoint Koehler as the suspected Pillow Case Rapist. He was arrested on an out-of-county warrant and is being held without bond.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Suspected ‘Pillowcase Rapist’ Robert Koehler arrested in Florida
