A convicted sex offender has been arrested for the murder of a woman in Broward County almost 20 years ago.
Alvin Merrit, who is now 72, appeared before a bond court judge Tuesday to face charges in the 2002 killing of Janet Ramos in Deerfield Beach.

Alvin Merrit
Court records allege Merrit was sexually battering Ramos when he choked her to death on April 17 or April 18 of 2002.
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DNA evidence reportedly led detectives to Merrit.
Merrit was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2009 in a Miami-Dade sexual battery and kidnapping case, Florida Department of Corrections records showed. As a result, Merrit is listed as a sexual offender.
Merrit was released from prison in 2019, but now is back behind bars, being held without bond.