
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, June 19, 1990                   TAG: 9006190541
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-4   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: ARLINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

EXECUTION FOR SERIAL KILLINGS URGED

The indictment of a man in the deaths of two prostitutes prompted some officials to call for expanding Virginia's death-penalty law to include serial killings.

Chander "Bobby" Matta, 21, of Arlington, was indicted Monday by an Arlington County Circuit Court grand jury for the murders of Jodie Phillips and Sandra Johnson, whose bodies were found over the Memorial Day weekend.

Under Virginia law, multiple murders are punishable by the death penalty only if committed as part of the same act. Because the three prostitutes were killed separately, prosecutors said, the law does not allow them to seek capital punishment in the case.

"I think a change should be considered to cover multiple murders done in sequence," Arlington Commonwealth's Attorney Helen Fahey said Monday.

- Associated Press

by CNB