Khalil Wheeler-Weaver of Essex County, N.J. (Essex County Prosecutor's Office)
NEWARK, N.J. - A New Jersey man charged in the murders of three women and the attempted murder of a fourth was convicted on all counts.
An Essex County jury deliberated for just two hours Thursday before convicting Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, who now faces a potential sentence of life plus 80 years in prison.
Prosecutors said Wheeler-Weaver, 23, of Orange, killed Sarah Butler, 20, Joanne Brown, 33, and Robin West, 19, in 2016. They also accused him of trying to kill another woman that year.
Wheeler-Weaver was convicted of murder, desecrating human remains, kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault and aggravated arson.
Wheeler-Weaver's public defenders confirmed that their client had arranged sexual encounters with the women but said he dropped them off safely at the end of each one and didn't harm anyone.
Editor's Note: Wheeler-Weaver's killings fit the pattern of a serial killer, NorthJersey.com reported, although prosecutors never used the term.