The man authorities believe is the East Coast Rapist has made his first appearance in a Virginia court.
A judge on Wednesday morning read 40-year-old Aaron H. Thomas the eight charges he faces in Prince William County.
Thomas is charged in an attack on three teenage girls in Dale City on Halloween night 2009. Officials suspect he is responsible for up to 17 attacks along the East Coast between 1997 and 2009.
Thomas, who kept his head down during the brief hearing, only spoke quietly to say he didn’t understand the charges and wanted a court-appointed attorney.
Thomas was arrested in Connecticut in March. He was extradited to Virginia on Tuesday.
