Accused Strangler Arrested

Authorities say a registered sex offender wanted in the death of a Clemson University student who was strangled with her bikini top has been captured in Tennessee.

Police say Jerry Buck Inman, who was wanted on arrest warrants for murder, rape and kidnapping, was taken into custody without resistance during a traffic stop late Tuesday about a mile from his parents' home in Dandridge, Tennessee.

Inman's DNA matched samples taken from Tiffany Marie Souers' apartment, according to Robert Stewart, division chief of the South Carolina State Law Enforcement.

CBS News correspondent Mark Strassman reports authorities believe the place where Souers lived may have played a role in being targeted for murder. Next door to her apartment is a construction site, where police say Buck Inman was one of the workers.

Nonetheless, as a suspect, he came into view relatively slowly.

The body of the 20-year-old civil engineering junior from Ladue, Missouri, was discovered May 26 in her off-campus apartment, wearing only a bra with the bikini top still around her neck.

Prosecutor Bob Ariail also said she was bound by her wrists and neck, which led to the kidnapping charge.

Souers' brother said he was smiling from ear-to-ear when he learned Inman had been arrested.

"I gave my mom a hug and she said she felt happy for the first time in a while," 16-year-old Trevor Souers said. "I was just really relieved."

Inman, a 35-year-old construction worker, was registered as a sex offender in Florida in September after he was released from prison for kidnapping and sexual battery. He also was registered in North Carolina. His last address is listed as Dandridge.

His mother, Vera McArthur, told The Greenville News earlier Tuesday that her son is bipolar and often suicidal, and had no idea South Carolina authorities were looking for him. She said he had been doing construction work in Tennessee and has not been in South Carolina recently as far as she knows.

"He just takes off and is gone a couple of days," McArthur told the newspaper.

Souers' father was impressed with how quickly authorities were able to capture Inman after they matched his DNA, which was announced Tuesday. "The speed was incredible," Jim Souers said.

The slaying shook the Clemson community. Tears began streaming down the face of Ashley Ellis, a 20-year-old business student, when she saw Inman's picture on TV.

"It could have been any one of us," Ellis said. "There hasn't been one night I haven't had a nightmare."