A man authorities call a serial killer was indicted Tuesday in the two-year-old slaying of a gay Atlanta man in his Midtown home and faces charges in another similar homicide.

Howard Milton Belcher, 26, was formally charged with the Oct. 5, 2002, death of Mark Schaller, a 40-year-old gay man who lived in an upscale condo on Dutch Valley Road off Monroe Drive. In June, Belcher was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years for the murder of a gay Paulding County man on Oct. 10, 2002.

“We would characterize Belcher as a serial killer,” said Erik Friedly, public affairs director for the Fulton County District Attorney. “He’s suspected in a number of murders.”

Robbery apparently motivated Belcher during an alleged killing spree in October 2002, a month-long affair that started with meeting victims at or near Bulldogs, a Peachtree Street gay bar popular among African-American men, according to authorities.

Belcher also faces murder charges in the death of Leroy Tyler, a 27-year-old gay man found in his Clarkston apartment Oct. 5, 2002. Belcher is a suspect in the Oct. 28 death of Artilles McKinney, a 35-year-old gay Duluth man, authorities said.

Fulton prosecutors decided against seeking the death penalty against Belcher for his alleged role in the Schaller slaying, and instead are pursuing a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, Friedly said.

Belcher described himself as an HIV-positive prostitute during interviews with the Atlanta Police Department, according to Det. Vincent Velazquez. He frequented Bulldogs and the area around the bar to meet tricks, Velazquez added.

Belcher’s arrest unfolded Oct. 30, 2002, when police in College Park stopped Belcher while he was driving a 1994 Lexus. Police discovered the car’s owner, Artilles McKinney, dead in his townhouse a day earlier. Authorities have said Belcher and McKinney met Oct. 28 a few blocks from Bulldogs and later traveled to McKinney’s home.

Forensic evidence later proved inconclusive and has kept authorities from charging Belcher in McKinney’s death, authorities said.

But as the case against Belcher expanded after his arrest, investigators sought possible links between him and other unsolved homicides. Prosecutors in Paulding County were the first to press formal charges against Belcher, who faced a six-day trial last June for the death of Matthew Abney, 45, a gay assistant manager for Wal-Mart.

Belcher told investigators he met Abney at Bulldogs and the pair traveled to Abney’s home, according to Tom Melanson, a Paulding County assistant district attorney.

The pair had sex before Belcher strangled him and took jewelry and his car. Abney’s hands were bound with a necktie, he was partially dressed, and a gas oven was left on, Melanson said.

In a letter to investigators, Belcher said Abney died while the two men had sex; during trial, Belcher said a third man was in the home and killed Abney, Melanson said.

“We argued that [Belcher] turned the burners on so that it would blow the place up and destroy evidence,” Melanson said. “It appeared to be a signature — like his calling card.”

Schaller was found partially nude with his hands bound by a necktie and died of blunt force injury to the neck. A gas oven in his condo was also turned on and his cell phone and wallet were reported missing, police said. Velazquez said Schaller and Belcher apparently met near Bulldogs.

Belcher also faces charges in the Feb. 24, 2002 robbery and kidnapping of two Atlanta men who were found with their hands bound by neckties, authorities said.

DeKalb County authorities charged Belcher with Tyler’s death last July. Tyler was found Oct. 5, 2002, after being strangled with his hands tied. Police discovered Tyler’s body in his Clarkston apartment bedroom under a comforter. His car was taken and the stove was turned on, authorities said.

Matthew A. Hennie can be reached at mhennie@sovo.com.