US police capture suspected serial killer in Texas

Police in Texas yesterday captured a man they described as a serial killer who took the lives of at least three people in seven days.

Jose Gilberto Rodriguez was arrested after a 14-minute car chase with police, and charged with two counts of capital murder.

A third murder charge was expected today once additional evidence was processed, police said.

A resident of a Houston suburb alerted authorities to the location of the 46-year-old's vehicle yesterday morning, just hours after police alerted the public that a serial killer may be on the loose.

Police described Rodriguez as a parolee who was supposed to be monitored by a tracker attached to his ankle, but who removed it a few days prior to allegedly committing his crimes.

The Houston Chronicle reported that Rodriguez was a convicted sex offender, and had an extensive and violent past dating back to at least 1989.

His latest alleged crimes exposed failure by local law enforcement to pursue the parolee for violating the terms of his release from prison.

"There's not enough law enforcement officers that are focusing on parolees," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo told a news conference. "We've had several cases where somebody cuts their monitor, and the next thing you know they're murdering somebody."