BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Brevard County deputies are in the beginning stages of seeing if 45-year-old Lance David Berning could have been involved in other murders involving prostitutes after he was accused of brutally killing one woman and dumping her body in the Indian River.
Deputies said Berning confided in a friend over some beers and called 24-year-old Jennifer Hedges a "dead hooker" in the river just two days after a boater found her body.
Documents also stated that he "killed her on Tuesday or Wednesday." The report also stated that when his friend asked if anybody saw what happened, Berning said, "Nobody saw a (expletive) thing. It was three o'clock in the morning on a deserted (expletive) street. Nobody saw (expletive)."
Deputies said Berning called the same friend days later and said, "He would get better at disposing a body next time where they do not find it."
Investigators also said Berning bragged about that he "removed her teeth and doused her with bleach so DNA could not be captured."
The Brevard County Sheriff's Office said Hedges still had her teeth when they found her.
They are still waiting on lab reports to find out if bleach was actually used. Investigators are gathering Berning's background information and will then present their case to other law agencies to see if he was involved in similar crimes.
Right now, deputies said they are focused on finishing this investigation.