FL - Jennifer Hedges, 24, found murdered in Titusville river, 9 Oct 2014

Authorities are investigating after the body of a 24-year-old woman was found floating in the Indian River in Titusville, near the Kennedy Space Center.

Brevard County Sheriff's officials say Jennifer Hedges, of Brevard County, was beaten in the head with a blunt force object...

Hedges was found Thursday by a boater, the station says, and the Brevard County sheriff's dive team recovered the partially submerged body. Investigators say she was put in the river in an attempt to conceal her body.

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Deputies said 44-year-old Lance David Berning will be charged with first-degree murder in the death of Jennifer Hedges. Berning is currently be expedited from Lake County to Brevard County, deputies said...

"Detectives in Lake County provided information that identified Berning, along with specific information about the crime scene and evidence that had not been released by law enforcement," the Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

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In a heavily redacted police affidavit obtained by The Huffington Post, investigators detailed the graphic crime, saying that Hedges had been strangled to death by Berning before her feet were tied to concrete and she was dumped in the river.

On Oct. 13, Berning met with a friend at a local bar. Over beers, Berning discussed killing Hedges, saying he had sex and smoked crack cocaine with the woman before killing her, according to the Brevard County Sheriffs' report.

The report states that Hedges put up a fight during the murder, breaking Berning's windshield and badly biting his palm. Berning allegedly told the friend that he "would get better at disposing a body next time where they do not find it."

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A Leesburg man charged last week with torturing and killing a prostitute in Brevard County may have more victims, Brevard investigators said Monday...

Berning was arrested Friday after he blurted out to a friend that he "really got off on it" when he strangled Jennifer Hedges, 24, for getting "prissy" while performing a sexual act on him, according to court documents. He also remarked that he enjoyed the experience so much he planned to kill another victim in about six months...

"We're looking into the chance that he's committed crimes like this before," said Maj. Tod Goodyear of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. "He's a person that moves around and has a history of violence against women in his past — he fits that category."

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