NEWARK -- A 20-year-old Orange resident arrested in December in connection with the slaying of a college student from Montclair has been indicted on first-degree murder charges in connection with her death and the killings of two other women, as well as the attempted murder of a fourth, prosecutors announced.

Khalil Wheeler-Weaver previously had been charged via criminal complaints in the murders of New Jersey City University student Sarah Butler, 20, and Joanne Brown, 33, but the indictment filed Friday in state Superior Court in Newark is the first official confirmation of his alleged involvement in the death of Robin West, 19.

In a statement Monday evening, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said a grand jury indicted Wheeler-Weaver on a total of 11 criminal counts, including one count of murder for each woman's death.

He's also charged with attempted murder for an alleged attack on a 34-year-old woman who survived the encounter, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

Butler -- who authorities said was acquainted with Wheeler-Weaver -- was reported missing Nov. 23. Her body was later found buried underneath leaves and debris at the Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange.

Authorities said Brown was reported missing in October, and found dead Dec. 5 in a vacant house on Highland Avenue in Orange, where she was apparently killed.

Investigators said both Butler and Brown were strangled.

West, of Philadelphia, had been reported missing to the Union Police Department prior to the discovery of her body on Sept. 1, when firefighters responded to a blaze at an abandoned building on Lakeside Avenue in Orange.

Authorities allege Wheeler-Weaver set fire to the home after killing West.

Investigators said they were able to identify West from her dental records.

Wheeler-Weaver is believed to have had sexual interactions with the victims, authorities said.

In addition to the three murders, he is charged with aggravated arson, aggravated sexual assault, desecration of human remains, kidnapping, among other offenses.

It was not immediately clear when Wheeler-Weaver would next appear in court.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.