Prosecutor: Killings of women were clearly work of same man

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A prosecutor says four strikingly similar attacks on women were all planned and executed by a skilled serial killer who studied the lives and homes of victims who lived near him before savagely stabbing them.

Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Dan Akemon in his closing argument Tuesday tried to establish that the killings of three women and the attempted killing of a fourth were all the unmistakable work of 43-year-old Michael Gargiulo.

Akemon began his presentation with a tribute to the last and only surviving victim, Michelle Murphy, saying her courage in fighting off Gargiulo in 2008 created a trail of blood that led to his arrest and charges in all four cases.

Gargiulo has pleaded not guilty. His attorneys make their closing argument Wednesday.