Philadelphia ? A man charged with raping and murdering a 10-year-old girl in her bedroom 16 years ago confessed to the crime and expressed remorse after his arrest last week, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

A judge was to have determined at a preliminary hearing Wednesday whether there was enough evidence to try Raymond Sheehan, 38, for the rape and killing of Heather Coffin in 1987. Sheehan, however, waived the hearing, and his attorney said the two sides were close to reaching a plea bargain.

“We are making progress,” defense attorney Dan Stevenson said. “Negotiations are proceeding apace.”

Assistant Dist. Atty. Ed Cameron said Sheehan gave a detailed confession after he was arrested July 8, less than 24 hours after a new test on biological samples found on Heather’s body tested positive for his DNA.

Stevenson confirmed that Sheehan had made an “inculpatory statement” to police after his arrest and could plead guilty if prosecutors forgo the death penalty.

Philadelphia Detective Chuck Boyle said Sheehan cried and expressed remorse during the arrest.

Sheehan told police that he felt Coffin owed him money, and said he went to the house with the intention of burglarizing it, Boyle said.

Police have said Sheehan stole into Heather’s bedroom while her family slept in the next room and silently strangled her.

The fifth-grader’s death vexed investigators for years. Police had considered dozens of possible suspects, including neighbors, friends and Heather’s parents.

The break came after detectives reviewed the case and decided to take a second look at Sheehan, a former neighbor who had never been ruled out.

Heather’s father, Randall Coffin, was in court Wednesday, wearing a T-shirt with his daughter’s picture on it. Coffin shouted, “Look! Remember!” at Sheehan, whom he had not seen since a falling out between them a year before Heather’s death.