EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — An East Cleveland man accused of killing three women and wrapping their bodies in trash bags has been indicted on 14 charges, including a new allegation of rape.
A grand jury on Monday charged Michael Madison, 35, with six counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of Angela Deskins, 38; Shetisha Sheeley, 28; and Shirellda Terry.
Also included is one count accusing him of raping one of the women — an allegation that had not been made when his bail was set last week.
Madison’s bail was set at $6 million, and he is scheduled for a fresh arraignment Thursday morning.
The bodies of the three women were found near his East Cleveland apartment — at different sites within a few blocks from one another — on July 19 and 20, police said.
The new indictment charges Madison with two murder counts for each woman: One alleging murder, and the other alleging murder while kidnapping, Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s office spokesman Joseph Frolik said Tuesday.
The indictment also charges Madison with three counts of kidnapping; three counts of gross abuse of a body; one count of rape; and one count of having a firearm despite being a convicted violent felon.
Madison is a registered sex offender, having been convicted of attempted rape in 2002.
In a separate case, he also has been charged with failing to tell authorities that he changed his address. A sex offender registry listed him as living with his mother in Cleveland, but he was living in East Cleveland when he was arrested this month, Frolik said.
When his bail was set on July 22, Madison had been charged only with three counts of aggravated murder and three counts of kidnapping.
Frolik said the indictment doesn’t seek the death penalty, but the prosecutor could decide to seek it later.
“We’re still in the relatively early stages in investigating this. The evidence is still coming into our office,” he said.
The bodies were discovered after someone noticed a foul odor coming from a garage he leased, police said.
One body was found in the garage; another was found in the basement of an empty home; and another was discovered in a field, police said. The decomposed bodies were wrapped similarly in plastic garbage bags and taped up, authorities said.
Madison was arrested after a standoff at his mother’s Cleveland house.
CNN’s Anna Coren, Michael Pearson and Emily Smith contributed to this report.
Jason Hanna and Leslie Holland | CNN
