A man on death row for the murder of a doctor's wife back in 2009 has been linked to a second homicide.

  • Delmer Smith III convicted of killing Kathleen Briles in August 2009
  • Smith's DNA found on clothing of second murder victim
  • Two attacks among more than a dozen Smith believed responsible for

Delmer Smith III now faces charges of murder and sexual battery in the brutal killing of a 37-year-old Sarasota woman inside of her home.

Smith was convicted of killing Kathleen Briles in her Terra Ceia home in August 2009. Now detectives say they have DNA evidence that links him to a killing from April 2009.

These two attacks were among more than a dozen detectives believe Smith was responsible for throughout the spring of that year.

A spokesperson for the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office confirms that Smith's DNA was found on the Sarasota woman's clothing. The evidence took years to get processed, but came back in November with a positive match to Smith.

"We wanted to check all our boxes and make sure that we were 100 percent confident that this DNA match was positive," said Kaitlyn Perez with Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. "We also had to get a new sample of his DNA just to further confirm it and to make sure it was thorough and it was accurate. All in all, we are sure, we knew back then it was him but this just sealed the deal."

Smith will be brought back to Sarasota County to face the new charges.