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Ohio woman pleads guilty to "serial killings" of 4 men

A woman pleaded guilty to the "serial killings" of four men in Ohio, the attorney general's office announced. 

Thirty-three-year-old Rebecca Auborn pleaded guilty on Dec. 19 to four counts of murder and one count of felonious assault, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. 

Auborn was indicted in October 2023 after police said she intentionally caused the overdose of one man and the fatal overdoses of four others in northeast Columbus. Investigators said she'd meet the men for sex, then drug them so she could steal their belongings. 

During the investigation, authorities said they were able to connect Auborn to an attempted overdose in December 2022, followed by four fatal overdoses from January 2023 to June 2023. 

"You know, the taste of justice here is sweet," Yost said in a video statement. "To close a tough case like this and to get a plea and head towards sentencing is a good thing. But it's diluted by the fact that I'm thinking of all these families who have lost a loved one, so that makes it awfully bittersweet, and my heart goes out to them."

The investigation began when the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force got information that a woman was allegedly meeting men for sex and then dosing the "johns" with the intent to rob them. Yost's office said detectives from the Columbus Division of Police, which leads the task force, investigated along with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

"This plea today, a plea to four counts of murder, is an example of inter-agency cooperation," Yost said. "BCI and my office worked hand in glove with CPD and produced an airtight investigation. There wasn't any wiggle room, and that's why she's admitted to these crimes, that she is, in fact, guilty. I'm super proud of law enforcement coming together. This was a tough case to put together, but they did an airtight job on it." 

Auborn will be sentenced the morning of Feb. 20, Yost said. 

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