Serial Suspect Pleads Not Guilty in Killings : Courts: Added charges are a surprise at arraignment of Cleophus Prince Jr. Preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 30.

Cleophus Prince Jr., the 23-year-old Alabama man suspected of killing five women in Clairemont and University City, pleaded not guilty to 19 charges at his arraignment Monday in San Diego Municipal Court.

Appearing before Judge Patricia A. Y. Cowett, Prince sat calmly and impassively as his preliminary hearing was scheduled for Sept. 30, following a court date July 15 to assess the evidence against him.

The prosecution has asked for special circumstances in the case, meaning that, if convicted, Prince could receive the death penalty. He is being held without bail in County Jail, to which he was extradited last week from Alabama. He was arrested March 3 in Birmingham.

The most surprising element of Monday’s hearing was that 14 new charges were filed against Prince, in addition to the five murder counts stemming from the stabbing deaths of five women between Jan. 12 and Sept. 13, 1990.

One new charge is the rape of 21-year-old UC San Diego student Janene Marie Weinhold, who was killed Feb. 16, 1990. Burglary counts were filed in connection with each killing except the first, in which 20-year-old San Diego State University student Tiffany Paige Schultz was found slain in her Clairemont apartment.

Five residential burglaries and one attempted burglary--affecting victims other than those in the killings--were added to the charges against Prince. These burglaries allegedly occurred between October and last February, after the slayings.

Prince also was charged with two counts of indecent exposure involving incidents that allegedly occurred last July. Prosecutors provided no details about those charges.

Prosecutors also allege that Prince assaulted Charla M. Lewis, his former live-in girlfriend, and Leo Andersen, one of Lewis’ friends. Prince is charged with battery against Lewis and assaulting Andersen with a deadly weapon in the same November incident.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Dan Lamborn said the charges were added after investigators turned up new evidence following the stabbing deaths of 42-year-old Pamela Gail Clark and her 18-year-old daughter, Amber, in University City in September. Lamborn called Prince “a prolific burglar.”

Loren Mandel, Prince’s attorney, has said that Lewis “remains absolutely convinced of his innocence” and will testify as a defense witness. He said she is still Prince’s girlfriend and is “still very favorable” as a witness on his behalf.

“We don’t look at people as either prosecution or defense witnesses,” prosecutor Lamborn said. “There are witnesses that are truthful, and witnesses that may not be so truthful. We have evidence that she was battered, and that’s what we’re going with.”

Mandel, an alternate public defender assigned to represent Prince, said: “We have 33,000 pages to review and another 7,000 coming. I have another attorney helping me. He and I will go over the material and decide where to go from here.”

Mandel said that, because of extensive publicity in the case--San Diego police call the hunt for Prince the largest in their history--a change of venue is “quite possible.”

Police said Prince spent about an hour Monday in a lineup with five other inmates--known as “fillers”--who generally matched his description, including age, height and weight. Like Prince, all are black, have mustaches and wore the same blue prison uniforms, police said.

Prosecutors assembled 35 to 40 witnesses who claimed to have seen the serial killer around the time of the slayings in 1990 until the time of Prince’s arrest.

The witnesses were gathered in a small auditorium and watched the inmates through a one-way glass partition, police said. All six inmates were asked to take quarter turns so the witnesses could see each at different angles.

Each inmate was also asked to speak the same phrase. At one point, according to police, all were asked to say, “It’s a nice day,” one at a time.

Lt. Gary Learn, who was in charge of the serial killing investigation, said the witnesses were given standard forms on which to identify who best fit their recollection. They were asked not to speak to each other. The forms were collected and turned over to Lamborn.

Lamborn said he was pleased with the results of the lineup identification, although he would not elaborate.

“There is no rule of thumb as to how many positive identifications you want,” he said. “You are looking for someone who is sure that’s the guy, although every bit of evidence helps. We are looking for anyone who can shed light on our case.”

Prince’s photo was printed and broadcast for the first time Monday, after his lineup appearance. Ever since his arrest in Birmingham, law enforcement officials had asked the media not to publish or broadcast his likeness because of the possibility that it could taint the lineup.

Meanwhile, Mandel said his client is “anxious to be vindicated.” Because the prosecution’s case apparently relies on genetic DNA evidence, Mandel said, “I hear there’s some real problems with it. DNA is something that’s really questionable in this state.”

Officials say Prince is linked to Weinhold’s murder through a DNA match of semen found on her clothing, the strongest evidence in the case against him.

Lamborn said the DNA evidence is solid, noting: “We’ve been working with DNA for years and years. Doctors have been using it. Research scientists have been using it--for years and years. I’m confident with DNA technology. Whether it’s this case or any other case, it’s proven to be reliable. I’m very confident in DNA.

“We don’t file cases unless we have the evidence to back it up,” Lamborn said. “I wouldn’t be here today unless I felt we had the evidence to go forward. And, yes, DNA will play a prominent part in our case.”