An Arkansas Death Row inmate has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting and then murdering a woman in Fort Lauderdale in 1991.
Jack Harold Jones, 40, made his plea Friday in front of Broward Circuit Judge Ana Gardiner.
He will serve out his life sentence in Arkansas, where he is already awaiting execution for the 1995 rape and murder of a woman and the attempted murder of her 11-year-old daughter.
Jones was extradited to Broward after DNA linked him to the murder of Lorraine Barrett, 32, found strangled at the Days Inn Lauderdale Surf Motel, 440 Seabreeze Blvd.
Witnesses told Fort Lauderdale police they saw Barrett with a man at the Elbo Room, then saw her get into an elevator with him at the motel.
Barrett had come to Fort Lauderdale from western Pennsylvania in May 1991 to visit friends.
Police had a sketch of the suspect and descriptions of his tattoos, but the information did not lead to an arrest.
Detective John Curcio reopened the case in 2002, something homicide detectives routinely do to see if there were any additional evidence, he said.
Curcio submitted evidence to labs with the Broward Sheriff's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The DNA profile was sent to the National DNA Index System, which matched it to Jones. Back in 1991, the possibilities of getting DNA comparisons was not there, Curcio said.
Jones wrote a five-page letter detailing the murder. His attorney, William Laswell, has not released it to the police yet, Curcio said.
Fort Lauderdale authorities obtained permission from Arkansas' governor to transport Jones to Fort Lauderdale once the DNA results were completed and matched to Jones, said Curcio.
''He called me several times from Arkansas and told me he was ready to accept responsibility for what he did,'' Curcio said. 'He has fully accepted the fact that he is going to die in Arkansas' Death Row and he is trying to make everything easier for the victims' families on both cases.''
