Los Angeles , California ( CNN ) -- A grand jury returned an 11-count indictment against Lonnie David Franklin Jr. , the alleged `` Grim Sleeper '' serial killer accused of murdering 10 victims over a 20-year span , authorities announced Thursday . Franklin , 58 , was arraigned Thursday on 10 counts of murder with the special-circumstance allegation of multiple murders , said Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley in a written statement . He was also charged with one count of attempted murder in the case of an 11th victim who survived , according to the indictment unsealed Wednesday . `` The families of the victims should be accorded timely resolution of the allegations of the murders of their loved ones , '' Cooley stated . Franklin was arrested and charged with the same counts in July 2010 , but the indictment allows the case to move directly to trial instead of a potential lengthy preliminary hearing process , according to Los Angeles District Attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons . Franklin is accused of killing his victims -- girls and women ranging in age from 14 to 36 -- between August 1985 and January 2007 . Most of the victims were discovered dumped in South Los Angeles alleys and covered with debris . They were shot to death and some were strangled and shot , the indictment alleges . The charges make Franklin eligible for the death penalty , but the district attorney 's office has not made a final decision on whether to pursue the death penalty , said spokeswoman Gibbons . Franklin has pleaded not guilty . Police were led to Franklin when authorities learned that a `` familial search '' of the DNA database by the California Department of Justice had come up with a convicted felon whose genetic blueprint matched a relative of DNA collected at 15 crime scene locations . Franklin 's 28-year-old son was that convicted felon , prompting detectives to conduct a surveillance of Lonnie Franklin Jr. , eventually obtaining his DNA sample from a slice of pizza that Franklin discarded , authorities said . When detectives announced the arrest , they also revealed that Franklin had , for a time , worked as a garage attendant at a Los Angeles police station and previously had an arrest record although his offenses did not require him to submit a DNA sample . Shortly after Franklin 's arrest , police searched his home and said they found photographs and videotapes of another 100 women . In December , investigators released some of those photographs , which generated leads and millions of hits on the Los Angeles Police website , they said . In December , Los Angeles detectives disclosed the investigation of two additional homicides that may be related to the suspect . Detectives also said there are four missing persons cases that may be connected to their overall investigation .
The `` Grim Sleeper '' killings claimed at least 10 lives from 1985 until 2007 . Lonnie Davie Franklin Jr. was arrested in the case . A grand jury returned an 11-count indictment against Franklin . He is currently serving a life sentence without parole for his role in the murders of two women and one man during that time period.