Suspected LA serial killer charged with 5 murders
LOS ANGELES – A man already accused of killing two women and suspected in the deaths of as many as 30 more was charged Wednesday with raping and murdering five other victims.
John Floyd Thomas, 73, was charged with killing the women between 1975 and 1986. The women – 56 to 80 years old – had all been strangled.
Thomas will stand trial for all seven deaths simultaneously. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail. Calls to his court-appointed lawyers were not immediately returned.
Thomas was initially charged April 2 with two counts of murder after a match from a DNA sample implicated him in the sexual assault and death of a retired school administrator and another woman in the 1970s.
The five new charges came as authorities continue to re-examine cold cases for DNA matches.
More Stories
LGBTQ USF students share concerns, expectations for 2023 Pride events
Roughly one year ago, communications sophomore Earnest Cherry came out to their loved ones. Now, after legislative changes and divisiveness in Florida, Cherry said they are scared to celebrate in the same way. Cherry said their concern extends beyond just this month’s events. “It’s scary to see what our state is becoming,” they said. “I […]
UPD to enforce body cams by August
The University Police Department (UPD) is expected to implement the use of body-worn cameras starting Aug. 1, according to UPD Public Information Representative Michael Lavelle. All active patrols – consisting of 27 officers – and 15 officers of rank, such as sergeants and corporals, will use the body cameras, according to Lavelle. This totals 42 […]
USF joins the Association of American Universities
USF has accepted an invitation to join the Association of American Universities (AAU) according to a universitywide email from President Rhea Law on Thursday morning. The AAU is a “prestigious” group in higher education composed of 71 research universities, according to the email. Member universities earn the majority of competitively awarded federal funding for research […]
Students pleased, concerned for DeSantis’ 2024 presidential run
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a run for the oval office after months of speculation and rumors, leaving students divided in the wake – with some hoping for his victory and others going against it. Taking place in a virtual Twitter livestream hosted by entrepreneur and Tesla founder Elon Musk, DeSantis made the announcement on May […]
BOT ACE committee approves grant application, degree termination
The Board of Trustees’ (BOT) Academics and Campus Environment (ACE) committee approved a grant application for the Eileen Hoffman Hafer UMatter program, an updated Master Plan for ONE USF and the degree termination of the Master’s in foreign language education in a Tuesday morning virtual meeting. UMatter is applying for a grant renewal of $2.5 […]
New Nursing/STEM building at Sarasota-Manatee campus in final design stages
USF is finalizing the design for the new Nursing/STEM building at the Sarasota-Manatee campus to expand its accelerated nursing program, according to Regional Chancellor of the Sarasota-Manatee Campus Karen Holbrook. The 75,000-square-foot building was designed by Willis A. Smith Construction – a general contractor from Sarasota – architects and an ideation committee of around 80-100 […]