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Stolen Loot Reportedly Links Man To 4 Murders

MONTEREY PARK (AP) — Detectives say jewelry and electronics found in a suspect's home linked him to the deaths of four people during home invasion robberies in Los Angeles County.

Sheriff's detectives said Friday that 53-year-old John Wesley Ewell pawned objects that he stole from his victims and left a trail of ATM transactions in his own neighborhood.

Officials say Ewell posed as a utility repairman to gain entry to the victims' homes. They are asking pawnbrokers and neighbors if they saw Ewell selling valuables he allegedly stole.

Ewell was charged Wednesday with four counts each of murder and robbery in three robberies in Hawthorne and Los Angeles.

Officials say Ewell is a career criminal who had committed robberies, but they don't know why he suddenly turned violent.

(© Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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