Authorities looking for proof man killed 48 people since '70

Browne could be one of the most prolific killers in U.S. history.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- A man serving a life sentence in Colorado for murdering a teenage girl has claimed responsibility for as many as 48 slayings across the country dating back more than three decades, authorities said Thursday.
Robert Charles Browne, 53, told authorities the slayings occurred from 1970 until his arrest in 1995. He was in court Thursday to plead guilty to one of those killings -- the death of another girl in Colorado in 1987.
Authorities so far have been able to corroborate his detailed claims in six other slayings -- three in Louisiana, two in Texas and one in Arkansas, said Terry Maketa, El Paso County sheriff.
He said Browne's claim of 48 murders could be credible.
"It's possible he's exaggerating, but I don't think you can conduct business assuming he's exaggerating," Maketa said. "We'll continue to pursue leads."
If Browne's claims prove true, he would be one of the most prolific killers in U.S. history.
Gary Ridgway, Seattle's Green River Killer who in 2003 became the nation's deadliest convicted serial killer, admitted 48 murders but once said he killed as many as 71 women, according to interview transcripts.
Browne's public defender, Bill Schoewe, did not return a call.
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