Authorities will analyze unsolved homicides cases for possible links to alleged South Bay killer
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced Monday that it will begin looking at unsolved homicide cases to find out if they are connected to a man who was arrested on charges of killing people in the South Bay during home-invasion robberies over the last several months.
Several weeks ago, The Times found that John Wesley Ewell, 53, was able to stay out of jail at the time of the recent slayings despite being convicted of second-degree burglary for stealing from a Home Depot store.
Court records revealed that a judge allowed Ewell to twice postpone the start of a 32-month prison sentence in connection with the theft so that he could undergo surgery. Ewell is suspected of killing at least four people during that delay. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Additional documents show that Ewell sought similar delays in two previous criminal cases in the 1990s.
Times reporters Richard Winton and Jack Leonard have more on the story: Sheriff will review unsolved homicides, checking for links to man accused of killing four in South Bay
Photo: John Wesley Ewell. Credit: L.A. County Sheriff’s Department
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