In addition to the murder charge, Macon was charged with first-degree home invasion and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder for an Aug. 28 incident involving a 56-year-old Lansing woman.

He could also face charges for the murder of five other women dating back to 2004.

Macon is a registered sex offender who was released on parole in June.

Macon’s next court appearance is scheduled for late October, when he will undergo a preliminary examination. He waived the right to have a preliminary examination within 14 days, said Macon’s attorney, Mike O’Briant.

O’Briant said he will not seek a referral for a psychiatric evaluation, but will file a motion for a change of venue.

“His state of mind is good,” O’Briant said. “The family is very supportive.”

O’Briant said he expects more charges to be filed against Macon in coming days.

The case against Macon has brought attention to Michigan’s Department of Corrections and the procedures of its parole system.

Russ Marlan, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections, said the department did not commit any errors in paroling the suspect for a third time in June.

“There is nothing in the information that we had collected on him that would lead anyone to believe that he would be capable of the crimes he’s accused of committing,” Marlan said.

“If there would have been, we wouldn’t have paroled him. He was essentially a model prisoner.”

Marlan said parole officers were invited to help in the investigation of the murders. He added that their information and knowledge was key to targeting Macon.

“It was our staff and their diligent work and their thorough knowledge of the parolees they are supervising … it was our staff that came up with Matthew Macon as a suspect,” Marlan said. “There are some good things that came out of this that I really believe led to this arrest in this case.”

Even as the case against Macon progresses, Marlan said legislation is expected to be proposed that would alter Michigan’s sentencing laws.

“The proposal is being drafted into bills in the next couple of weeks,” he said. “We know that there’s been opposition to that. We look forward to that debate in the legislature.”

Sen. Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, served on a Senate subcommittee that assessed the state’s correction system. He said the recent killings — and the possibility that the person responsible was a parolee — show that Michigan needs to be tougher on releasing prisoners.

“The first and major function of government is to protect the people from the criminal element,” Cropsey said. “Under our current policies, we already have enough tragedies.”

While the case against Macon has shed light on the corrections system, Marlan said the department will not budge based on one incident.

“You can’t run any corrections system based on individual cases,” he said. “The case has only been alleged to have been committed. I don’t see it as deterring us from where we want to go.”

The Associated Press contributed to this article.