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Judge Denies NorCal Serial Murder Suspect's Dismissal Request

SAN RAFAEL (CBS/AP) - A judge will not dismiss the case against alleged serial killer Joseph Naso, charged with the murders of four Northern California women with matching initials decades ago.

The 77-year-old defendant filed a motion to dismiss the charges after he pleaded not guilty last month. Naso, who is serving as his own lawyer, argued that authorities failed to show probable cause to arrest him.

A judge on Monday disagreed and denied Naso's request, and set the preliminary hearing for Sept. 9.

Naso is suspected of killing Roxene Roggasch, 18, of Oakland, whose body was found on Jan. 10, 1977, on White's Hill near Fairfax, and Carmen Colon, 22, who was found dead near Port Costa in Contra Costa County in 1978.

He is also accused in the deaths of Pamela Parsons, 38, and Tracey Tafoya, 31, who were killed in Yuba County in 1993 and 1994, respectively.

Investigators said Naso kept a list of 10 women and locations, including the four he is charged with killing. Prosecutors have not commented on the status of the other six.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)

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