VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A man accused of a killing spree across Hampton Roads appeared before a Virginia Beach judge for a preliminary hearing Thursday.
In a jailhouse interview with 13News Now, Cola Beale, 31, confessed to killing three people in March.
The hearing featured testimony from Virginia Beach investigators.
In Virginia Beach, Beale faces two counts of second-degree murder and is accused of arson.
Beale previously told 13News Now he shot and killed his girlfriend, 31-year-old Czavier Hill, and father figure, 73-year-old Clifton Baxter, in their separate Virginia Beach homes.
Beale also told reporters he later set Hill's townhome on fire, before killing his cousin Downing McLean in Norfolk.
On Thursday, a homicide detective testified Beale confessed to investigators, too, after his arrest.
Much of the details the detective shared matched what Beale told 13News Now months ago. According to the detective, Beale said he shot Hill after the two got into an argument over their relationship, and Beale felt Baxter did not support him the way he wanted.
“He'd tell me he didn't have nothing. But when I killed him, I found like $20,000," Beale said in March.
Investigators said Beale admitted to stealing money found in Baxter's home.
The other witness, a Virginia Beach fire investigator, said evidence shows someone intentionally set Hill's townhome on fire, and they found gas cans in the dining room.
When we last interviewed Beale, he told reporters he felt no remorse.
The defense asked the detective if anything seemed "unusual" about Beale when he spoke to investigators. The detective said no, highlighting Beale knew his rights and could recall dates and his thought process.
The case will go before a grand jury on September 6, and Beale's trial is expected to start later that month. However, the trial date could be changed.
In Norfolk, Beale is expected back in court on September 22.