Police Release Man in Serial Killer Case

A man picked up by California Highway Patrol officers for questioning in the Southside Serial Killer case was released early Thursday after investigators determined that the man’s girlfriend fabricated claims that he resembled a police sketch of the killer.

The man, whose name was not released, was questioned by police and sheriff’s deputies from the Serial Killer Task Force after he was taken into custody following a dispute with his girlfriend late Wednesday night.

“Investigators believe (the girlfriend) fabricated all the allegations because of a quarrel the couple were having,” said Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Roxanna Schuchman.

There is no evidence linking him to the case, Schuchman said, although a routine follow-up investigation into the allegations was planned.