ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A former Alexandria resident with a history of erratic behavior has made his initial appearance on multiple murder charges.

Fifty-three-year-old Charles Severance, sporting a long, gray beard, said nothing during the brief Tuesday hearing in Alexandria. Another hearing was set for Sept. 25.

For months, Severance has been the focus of an investigation into three Alexandria homicides, one of which dates back more than a decade.

Last week, Severance was formally charged with murder in the 2003 slaying of Nancy Dunning, wife of then-Sheriff James Dunning; the November 2013 shooting of transportation planner Ronald Kirby; and the February shooting of music teacher Ruthanne Lodato.

Severance was moved on Monday to the Alexandria jail from Leesburg, where he had been held on an unrelated gun charge.

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