Prosecutors: 'Ether Man' Linked To Oklahoma Rapes

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Investigators say DNA has linked a Colorado inmate suspected of being the "Ether Man" serial rapist to a string of sexual assaults that roiled the University of Oklahoma campus from 1985 to 2005.

Prosecutors filed 19 felony charges this week against Robert Howard Bruce, who's serving a 64-year sentence for attempting to blow up a police officer's home. Bruce is accused of being the Ether Man, who was known for using chemicals to subdue dozens of rape victims in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.

Court records say Bruce described the Oklahoma attacks when a detective questioned him in January. Public Defender Kim Karn, who represented Bruce in Colorado, did not immediately return a phone message Friday.

The records do not list an Oklahoma attorney for Bruce.

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