A 58-year-old homeless man was arraigned Monday on a charge of killing a 29-year-old woman in his parked van in North Portland.

Terry Hickman confided in a friend last week that he choked a woman until she stopped breathing, according to a probable cause affidavit. Police say officers were flagged down on North Lombard Street near Portsmouth Avenue by Hickman's friends, who said Hickman confessed to killing the woman and was at their apartment.

Police then interviewed Hickman, who told them where his van was parked, the affidavit says. Police discovered the van had been towed July 17, so they went to the tow lot where the van was being stored. Police could see the body of Dallas Boyd inside and smell human decay, the affidavit states.

Charging papers filed by the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office allege that Boyd died between July 13 and July 19.

The medical examiner's office determined Boyd's cause of death to be "manual strangulation," according to the affidavit.

Hickman was booked into the Multnomah County jail system at 4:44 a.m. on Saturday. He was listed as a transient with no address.

He appeared in Multnomah County Circuit Court to be arraigned on one count of murder. His next court date is July 31.

Hickman's criminal history stretches back to 1994, when he was convicted of first-degree robbery. Other convictions include third-degree assault, drug possession and driving while under the influence of intoxicants.

Court documents indicate that Boyd also was homeless, as recently as April.

Her Facebook page lists her name as Dallas Boyd-Riggins and says she was engaged.

Police are asking members of the public with information about the case to email Detective Scott Broughton at Scott.Broughton@portlandoregon.gov or to call him at 503-823-3774.

-- Aimee Green