A suspect in a series of killings in California is set to be arraigned Tuesday on more than two dozen counts — including murder — in the killings of 10 people and the attempted murders of two others.
Santino William Legan was arrested nearly a week after authorities issued a statewide Amber Alert for him after police found him in Santa Barbara County in a disabled vehicle. His arrest followed a three-week search, during which authorities said they found more than 10,000 pieces of evidence.
“The case is particularly difficult because it involves the deaths of multiple people and multiple perpetrators, but the defendant is not only responsible for each victim, he is responsible for each murder, he is responsible for each attempted murder,” county Supervisor Bill Montgomery told reporters Tuesday.
The prosecutor in the case is Scott Tom through the Central District Attorney’s Office.
Police said they believe Legan, 32, committed a string of robberies and attacks on women, most of them prostitutes, and that he had a history of violence against women. Authorities say they found more than 10,000 pieces of evidence, including weapons believed to be used to commit the crimes and his clothing.
Legan’s defense attorney did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Legan’s arraignment is scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday, a day before his trial was scheduled to begin in Superior Court.
A hearing for Legan’s first court appearance was continued Tuesday. His next appearance is scheduled for Oct. 29. The trial was to be started Oct. 22.
Authorities have not discussed potential motives. But in a statement, Santa Barbara Police Chief Dave McPadden, called Legan “a person of interest.”
Authorities were investigating possible links between Legan and the unsolved killings of men in Santa Barbara County, in which investigators believe he participated.
Legan’s family members in Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania had not returned phone messages seeking comment.
Legan’s mother and another relative had told NBC Los Angeles that Legan had been “a quiet kid” until recently, and became more “distant and angry” recently. Legan’s siblings said in a statement that they were “confused and uncertain what’s happening in their lives.”
The family members could not be reached for comment after the arraignment.
In a statement