Sgt. Edgar Patino pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Spc. Megan Touma. He had originally been charged with first-degree murder in the case. The body of Touma, 23, was found June 21, 2008, in a room at the Fairfield Inn near Cross Creek Mall. Investigators said they believe she was killed seven to eight days earlier. An autopsy determined Touma died of asphyxiation. She had bruising on her neck and was found submerged in a bathtub. Touma was seven months pregnant at the time of her death, and Patino was the father of her unborn child, police said.

The Fayetteville Observer newspaper and the Fayetteville Police Department received typed letters from someone claiming to be Touma's killer. The letters bore the symbol of San Fransisco's famous Zodiac Killer and a similar symbol reportedly was found inside the motel room where Touma was killed. The newspaper originally chose not to publish the letter, but later reported its contents and identified a "person of interest" who was studying psychological warfare and may have sent the letters in an attempt to foul up investigators. Police would not explicitly say that Patino was the original person of interest, but confirmed that he had been considered a person of interest since early in the investigation and that there are no other suspects.

Two page handwritten letter on legal sized paper. Letter is general content and is signed. Included with the letter is a 4X6 glossy photograph with handwritten missive on the back. Original matching handwritten envelope is included.