The man accused in the "Grim Sleeper" serial slayings should face the death penalty if convicted, prosecutors announced Monday.
Lonnie Franklin Jr., 58, has pleaded not guilty to the murders of 10 women and a count of attempted murder. If he is convicted, Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said her office will ask a jury for the death penalty.
Franklin was arrested in July 2010. Police are investigating Franklin in connection with other slayings.
Most of the victims in the "Grim Sleeper" case were found in alleys near Franklin's South Los Angeles home. The slayings began in the 1980s and continued in the 2000s. There appeared to be a 13-year gap between slayings, prompting the name "Grim Sleeper."
Hundreds of photographs were found at Franklin's home after he was arrested July 8, 2010 on suspicion of killing at least 10 young women and one man in South Los Angeles. Photographs were posted on the LAPD website as investigators sought to determine the subjects' identities.
In April, police said Franklin might be connected to eight additional slayings. Identification cards belonging to three of the additional victims were found in a refrigerator in Franklin's garage.
Police have questioned whether the slayings actually stopped during the 13-year gap. Two of the women disappeared during the 13-year period.
"I think it's absurb to think he would stop one day and start up again 13 years later," said Det. Dennis Kilcoyne after the announcement of the additional cases.
The indictment against Franklin was unsealed in March, allowing the case to go to trial. It indicated the ages of the victims -- they were shot, strangled, or both -- ranged from 14 to 36.
