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Spokesman: Death penalty sought for alleged 'Grim Sleeper' killer

By the CNN Wire Staff
Suspected "Grim Sleeper" serial killer Lonnie Franklin, Jr., is shown at his arraignment in Los Angeles, in 2010.
Suspected "Grim Sleeper" serial killer Lonnie Franklin, Jr., is shown at his arraignment in Los Angeles, in 2010.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Lonnie David Franklin's next court date is November 7, a DA spokeswoman says
  • Prosecutors say they plan to ask for a death sentence against him, a DA spokesman says
  • He is charged with the murders of 10 women in California, plus an attempted murder count
  • Franklin has pleaded not guilty
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(CNN) -- Southern California prosecutors announced Monday that they will seek the death penalty against Lonnie David Franklin, the suspect in the so-called "Grim Sleeper" serial killings, a district attorney's office spokesman said.

Matt Krasnowski, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, said that the prosecutors signalled their intentions in court on Monday.

Franklin is charged with the murders of 10 women as well as one attempted murder.

He is accused of killing his victims -- girls and women ranging in age from 14 to 36 -- between August 1985 and January 2007. Most of the victims were discovered dumped in south Los Angeles alleys and covered with debris. All were shot; some were strangled too, the indictment alleges.

The Los Angeles man has pleaded not guilty.

The charges made Franklin eligible for the death penalty -- if he is convicted -- but authorities hadn't announced their plans on this front until Monday.

His next court date -- a pretrial hearing -- is scheduled for November 7, Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said.

Police were led to Franklin after his 28-year-old son was arrested and gave a DNA swab, authorities said.

When detectives announced the arrest in July 2010, they also revealed that Franklin had, for a time, worked as a garage attendant at a Los Angeles police station. They also said that he previously had an arrest record, although his offenses did not require him to submit a DNA sample.

CNN's Carey Bodenheimer contributed to this report.