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Man, 74, Found Guilty In Cold Case Murders Of 3 Women

Samuel Little
(credit: CBS)

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A man in his 70s was convicted Tuesday in the murders of three women committed more than 25 years ago.

Samuel Little, 74, was found guilty of the first-degree murders of Carol Alford, 41, who was murdered on or about July 13, 1987; Audrey Nelson, 35, who was murdered on or about Aug. 14, 1989; and Guadalupe Apodaca, 46, who was murdered on or about Sept. 3, 1989.

All three women were strangled to death.

A jury of seven women and five men deliberated just two hours before delivering the verdict.

A DNA match in April 2012 identified Little as the suspect in Nelson's murder, Los Angeles police said. DNA also linked Little to Alford and Apodaca's murders, which led to a grand jury indictment in April 2013.

In a statement, Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said the women were troubled and had lost their way, and that drugs and prostitution made them vulnerable and easy targets for Little.

Little is scheduled to return to court Sept. 25, where he faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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