Man charged with 1980s killings

HARTFORD, Conn., Dec. 6 (UPI) -- A Connecticut man suspected of killing three teenage girls in the 1980s has been charged with the crimes.

Another man was convicted of one of the killings and is serving a 60-year sentence. The investigation was reopened by the Connecticut Innocence Project, The Hartford Courant reported Saturday.

Pedro Miranda, 51, of New Britain was arrested Friday by Hartford police on charges that include three counts of murder. Investigators say he was a casual acquaintance of two victims last seen walking home.

The first victim, Rosa Valentin, 16, disappeared in 1986, and her body was never found.

Mayra Cruz, 13, was abducted in 1987. Her body was found a month later.

Carmen Lopez, 17, was killed not long after. She was a cousin of Miranda's girlfriend and was last seen at a New Year's Eve party in his apartment.

Her boyfriend, Miguel Roman, was convicted of killing her, even though an FBI agent testified that his DNA did not match that found on the body. He remains in prison, but his attorneys plan to file a motion for a new trial.