Prosecutors Thursday laid out evidence against an accused serial killer arrested earlier this week, and a grand jury indicted him with five counts of murder first-degree murder

Paul Durousseau, 32, is accused of killing five young black women in Jacksonville between December 2002 and early February of this year. He's also accused of killing a woman in Columbus, Ga., in 1997.

Jurors also indicted Durousseau for two counts of child abuse in connection with two children left in an apartment with one of the victim's dead body.

"The case went very smoothly before the grand jury," State Attorney Harry Shorstein said. "We think the sheriff's office did a good job investigating the case, and that did make it easier for us."

Evidence in the case includes DNA matches with victims, matching fibers and cellular telephone records.

Grand jury indictments in murder cases are necessary if the state wants to seek the death penalty. which Shorstein said the state intends to seek in this case.

Durousseau was arrested for violating probation in a 2001 rape case on Feb. 6 -- the day after the last two bodies were found. While he was in jail, the pieces of the murder puzzle began coming together.

Channel 4's Scott Johnson researched Durousseau's past and discovered that most recently, police put him on probation for aggravated assault, then arrested him for four probation violations, including not having a job, not paying money to the Department of Corrections, moving without notifying his probation officer, and not completing psychosexual counseling.

"It's difficult to say if we could have stopped anything before February because we didn't have evidence," Sterling Ivy, spokesman for the Department of Corrections, said.

Police said Durousseau had contact with his probation officer during the time frame of the murders and even talked with the officer three days before police arrested him. The DOC said he followed his probation until at least three days before the arrest.

Channel 4 was also told Durousseau had his probation extended twice.

"He had violated twice, but courts decided to keep him on the streets," Ivy said.

A longtime Jacksonville bail bondsman looked at Durousseau's arrest report and said he was surprised with the number of violations Durousseau has.

"Those are common, but not all in the same case. That's a magnitude of great proportion," Terry Trussell said.

Channel 4 also learned that Durousseau was court-martialed in 1997 when he was in the Army stationed in Columbus. While he was accused of several charges, including rape and kidnapping, he was acquitted on all charges except receiving stolen property. He was dishonorably discharged.

Previous Stories:

• June 18, 2003: Family Of Murder Victims Mourn June 18, 2003: Gator City Taxi President Comes To Town For Answers
• June 17, 2003: Father Of Murder Victim Knows Accused Killer
• June 17, 2003: Suspected Serial Killer Under Arrest