LOS ANGELES — A 72-year-old insurance adjuster who was linked by the police to as many as 30 murders from the 1970s and ’80s has been charged with only two killings so far because DNA evidence in other cases is damaged, police officials said.
Just last month, the police suggested that the suspect, John F. Thomas Jr., could be the most prolific serial killer in Los Angeles history. But law enforcement officials said this week that DNA collected at three of the crime scenes only partly matched Thomas’ genetic profile.
Detectives also said the DNA from the crime scenes had deteriorated over time, making it more difficult to match and making prosecutors wary of filing any more charges against Thomas.
The law enforcement officials said detectives would have to find other evidence before they would charge Thomas with any other murders.
