reporter: thomas kept his head down. prosecutors said he asked, what took you so long? they said thomas confessed to several of the rapes saying he has dr. jeckyll and mr. hyde personality. they were music to my ears to hear that he had been arrested. reporter: the top prosecutor in prince william county, virginia, said thomas will face five life sentences for the attacks on two teenaged girls. he s accused of dragging into the woods and raping at gunpoint. this case concerns me, almost as much as the d.c. sniper did. reporter: thomas was living in this connect keck home. connecticut home. sources say investigators followed thomas and pulled dna off of his discarded cigarette, which matched 12 of the 14 rapes. reporter: it s not clear yet right now when that will happen because they re still working with investigators. thomas s next court hearing is scheduled for march 22nd. back to you. derek, thank you. the tip that led police to arrest thomas came from the
himself in his own jail cell. reporter: 39-year-old aaron thomas, seen here escorted out of court after his first appearance before a judge. prosecutors believe he is the east coast rapist, pictured in these sketches, responsible for some 17 rapes over 14 years, beginning in maryland, stretching to rhode island, virginia and connecticut. he was arrest the last week, after electronic billboards went up around the east coast. the website garnered 51,000 hits in one week. ultimately, there was a detailed hit that cracked this case. reporter: in court, thomas kept his head down as prosecutors said when police swooped in to catch him, he said, what took you so long? they said thomas confessed to several of the rapes, saying he has dr. jeckyll and mr. hyde personality when it comes to women. some of the first rapes took place in 1998 and 2001. it was music to my ears to hear that he was arrested. reporter: he will face five life sentences for the halloween attacks on two