DNA convicts LA man of 11 killings

LOS ANGELES, May 1 (UPI) -- DNA samples saved from Los Angeles rapes and killings between 1987 and 1998 have led to a man being convicted of 11 counts of serial murder.

A jury on Monday convicted former pizza deliveryman and crack cocaine dealer Chester Turner in connection with the deaths of 10 women, one who was pregnant with a viable 26-week-old fetus, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The women ranged in age from 21 to 45. Their strangled and battered bodies were found strewn around South Los Angeles over an 11-year period.

In 1995, David Jones, a part-time janitor described by a psychiatrist of having the mental capacity of an 8-year-old, was convicted of three killings and sentenced to 36 years to life in state prison.

In 2001, cold case Detective Cliff Shepard ordered DNA tests that exonerated Jones, who was released and paid $720,000 from the city. However, the DNA was a perfect match to Turner, who faces sentencing Wednesday.

The jury's only options are life sentences or death, the Times said.