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Suspected 'Grim Sleeper' Killer Allegedly Tied To Other Deaths

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Six more slayings have been linked to the alleged serial killer dubbed "The Grim Sleeper," according to the Los Angeles Times.

The newspaper reported Friday that Lonnie Franklin Junior's list of alleged victims may be growing after detectives reviewed cold cases, missing person reports and a cache of photos allegedly found inside his South LA home.

"He has been arrested. The District Attorney's office is filing multiple counts," Lt. Dennis Kilcoyne of the LAPD said back in July 2010.

Franklin was arrested last year and accused of killing at least ten women, leaving their bodies on the streets of LA. Investigators say he killed from 1985 to 1988 and again from 2002 to 2007.

The gap gave him the name "Grim Sleeper," although police say they never really believed he stopped.

"We certainly do not believe that we are so lucky or so good as to know all his victims," LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said in Dec. 2010.

At the time, detectives said they'd be working to tie the 59-year-old mechanic to unsolved crimes.

According to the Times, ballistics and DNA have linked Franklin to three murders but circumstantial evidence – items found in his home and a phone call – are being used to link the other three.

Franklin's attorney, Louisa Pensanti, told CBS2's Serene Branson that she's skeptical of the additional cases.

"From day one we've heard that the LAPD would be investigating every unsolved mystery to blame them on Lonnie Franklin. No bodies were found in three if the cases.

"This is an attempt to taint the jury pool and make him look guilty of every unsolved crime in the city," said Pensanti in a statement released Friday.

The Times is also reporting that it is not likely that Franklin will not be charged in these additional cases because he is already facing the maximum penalty, if convicted.

Although the LAPD would not comment on the record regarding this case, city sources confirmed to CBS2 News that investigators have tied Franklin to other cases, bringing the total number of alleged victims to 16.

Franklin is due back in court on Nov. 7. The LAPD says more information will be released during a news conference scheduled for next week.

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