A Texas man convicted of killing two women in the San Antonio area was handed two consecutive life sentences this week, authorities said. 

José Baldomero Flores III, 41, pleaded guilty to the slayings of Heather Willms and Esmeralda Herrera in a Bexar County courtroom Monday, the state Department of Public Safety said Thursday. 

In February 2005, Willms, 21, was found sexually assaulted and dead in her home, authorities said. The killer attempted to burn her body to remove evidence. 

Investigators identified Flores, a friend of Willms, as a possible suspect. His DNA was found on her body and on an object. He was never charged as the case stalled. 

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Herrera, 30, was found dead in her San Antonio apartment in a manner similar to Willms, investigators said. The unit was also set on fire. Flores was arrested after the killing, but prosecutors released him due to insufficient evidence.

The Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program (UCIP) took over both cases in 2015 and the Rangers identified the unknown DNA from Willms' body. 

Flores was arrested in 2016 for both murders.