Convict says he's killed 8 more people

CHICAGO, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- After a long-time convict pleaded guilty to killing a Chicago-area woman, police claimed the suspect is a serial killer who confessed to eight other slayings.

Timothy Krajcir, 63, an Allentown, Pa., native, was sentenced to 40 years in prison Monday for raping and killing Deborah Sheppard, a 23-year-old Southern Illinois University student, in 1982. Police later said that Krajcir also faces life in prison for allegedly killing five Missouri women in the 1970s and 1980s, The Chicago Tribune said.

In addition, Krajcir admitted to three additional killings but police have declined to release details, the newspaper said.

Kracjir is a habitual offender who'd been imprisoned on and off since 1963, when he was jailed for raping a 21-year-old. He's been incarcerated since the 1980s for parole violation, the Tribune said.

Carbondale, Ill., Police Lt. Paul Echols earlier this year asked to reinvestigate the Sheppard case, correctly hoping DNA evidence may provide a break, the report said.

Sheppard's father told the Tribune his only peace of mind comes from knowing the DNA evidence from his daughter's case helped in solving other killings.