MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A convicted sex offender accused of killing an elderly Miami Beach man last month has confessed to the crime along with six other murders in Florida, Georgia and California, authorities said.
Ernesto Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Miami Beach Department, said officers could not corroborate the claims of 32-year-old Nicholas Brent Gibson.
Gibson was arrested in New York City on Sunday after a struggle in which at least one officer was injured. The U.S. Marshals Service was also searching for Gibson for a probation violation for failing to register as a sex offender.
Miami Beach detectives interviewed Gibson in New York, where he confessed to the additional killings. Officers are now working to determine whether the confessions are credible, Rodriguez said.
Police said he killed 77-year-old Erik Stocker. Officers found Stocker dead April 30 inside his unit at the Tribeca apartments in the 1500 block of Michigan Avenue after neighbors noticed a foul order coming from the apartment. Police said he had been dead for about 10 days.
Detectives have not said how Stocker was killed or released a motive for the killing. However, the Miami Herald has reported that sources said Gibson used "some type of sword" to kill Stocker.
Rodriguez said detectives have found additional physical evidence linking Gibson to the murder. He said Gibson will be charged once he is transported back to Miami Beach.