Convicted killer formally charged with death of gay man

A man authorities call a serial killer was indicted Tuesday in the two-year-old slaying of a gay Atlanta man in his Midtown home and faces charges in another similar homicide.

Howard Milton Belcher, 26, was formally charged with the Oct. 5, 2002, death of Mark Schaller, a 40-year-old gay man who lived in an upscale condo on Dutch Valley Road off Monroe Drive. In June, Belcher was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years for the murder of a gay Paulding County man on Oct. 10, 2002.

“We would characterize Belcher as a serial killer,” said Erik Friedly, public affairs director for the Fulton County District Attorney. “He’s suspected in a number of murders.” (source)