Judge sets trial date in Grim Sleeper serial killings

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has set a trial date for a man charged with 10 counts of murder in what have been dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" serial killings that spanned two decades in Los Angeles.

Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy said today that jury selection would begin June 30 in the case of Lonnie Franklin Jr., who has pleaded not guilty.

Anguished family members pleaded to move the case forward after years of delays. They angrily denounced the defendant and blamed his lawyer for dragging his feet.

Defense lawyer Seymour Amster agreed to a June date after prosecutors said they would be ready to argue about evidence at a March hearing.

Prosecutors cited Marsy's Law, a voter-approved victims' bill of rights that extends the right to a speedy trial — guaranteed for defendants — to family members of victims. It also allows victims to address the court, and Porter Alexander, who spent more than 20 years wondering if his daughter's killer would ever be caught, was among those who addressed the court.

"Oh, man, I can't count how many times I've been there," the 74-year-old said Thursday.