CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES

John Floyd Thomas, the alleged serial killer who police believe killed dozens of women in the 1970s and ‘80s, made his first court appearance Wednesday, when a judge granted a lengthy postponement in the legal proceedings.

Thomas, a short, 72-year-old insurance claims adjuster, appeared only briefly, standing hunched behind the glass and bars at the far corner of the prisoner detention cell. Because the police investigation into Thomas is ongoing, his attorney requested that Los Angeles County Superior Court Commissioner Kristi Lousteau postpone Thomas’ arraignment until Aug. 25.

In a barely audible voice, Thomas agreed to the delay. So far, Thomas has been charged with the rape and murder of two women -- Ethel Sokoloff, 68, in the Mid-Wilshire area in 1972, and Elizabeth McKeown, 67, in Westchester in 1976. If convicted, he could get the death penalty.

Police said they have linked Thomas through DNA evidence to five murders and believe he eventually could be tied to as many as 30 unsolved killings -- a number that would make him one of the most prolific killers in the region’s history.

Thomas was arrested by Los Angeles Police Department detectives in late April after police collected a DNA swab from him as part of an effort to collect genetic samples from registered sex offenders. His genetic profile matched DNA evidence collected from the two murder scenes.

-- Joel Rubin