GUILTY OH - Crystal Palm, 33, found murdered in burning Akron home, 15 Nov 2014

Akron firefighters were called to a burning unit in the 200 block of East Emerling Avenue for a blaze that began around 3:30 a.m.

As crews worked their way through the apartment extinguishing the fire, they soon discovered the body of a 33-year-old woman. The Summit County Medical Examiner's Office ruled that Crystal Palm was stabbed to death.

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New DNA results has determined that evidence obtained from the scene of a deadly apartment fire in November matches the DNA profile of a rape suspect, according to Akron detectives.

Brock Andrew Tipping, 31, of Akron, previously had a warrant out for his arrest in the rape of a 35-year-old woman from East Tallmadge Avenue on Oct. 19.

He was later located and arrested in Indianapolis, Ind., in December.

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Brock A. Tipping, 31, of Akron, is charged with aggravated murder and aggravated arson in Akron Municipal Court in the Nov. 15 death of Crystal Palm. His initial court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday...

A month before Palm's death, Tipping was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at gunpoint after he met up with her to smoke crack. He faces charges of rape, felonious assault and abduction...

Tipping drove the 35-year-old woman to his home... Tipping took the woman into his basement and raped her several times as he choked and threatened to kill her, court records say. Tipping drove the woman back to where they met up on West Tallmadge Avenue. The woman to suffered hemorrhaging in both eyes and had severe bruising on her neck, according to court records.

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An Akron man pleaded guilty on Monday to murder in connection with the November 2014 stabbing death of a woman whose body was found inside her burning East Emerling Avenue home.

Brock A. Tipping, 32, also pleaded guilty to raping another woman about a month earlier...

He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

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Tipping met Palm through her advertisement for sex on backpage.com, according to court records, then stabbed her eight times in the head and neck before setting fire to her apartment...

He was accused of abusing the mother of his child in incidents in December 2004, May 2006 and July 2008. In each instance, he was sentenced to probation and eventually served time in prison for violating his probation.

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