 He was a disturbed individual and a coward. He stalked women with anonymous telephone calls. He choked them into unconsciousness so that he could have sex with them, and when the police caught up with him, he fell apart. Investigators weren't fooled by his obviously rehearsed story, and before long, he had confessed to everything. Even though he later repudiated the confession, it was the truth, or at least as close to the truth as Melquist could manage.