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"Rape diary" details revealed in case of Joseph Naso, alleged Calif. serial killer

Marin Prosecutor Seeks Death Penalty For Suspected Serial Killer
Joseph Naso CBS/KCBS/Washoe County Sheriff's Office

(CBS/AP) SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - An investigator has testified that a diary detailing sexual assaults on women was found along with posed photographs of two Northern California slaying victims in the home of suspected serial killer Joseph Naso.

The Marin County District Attorney's Office presented evidence on Wednesday during a preliminary hearing for Naso, a Reno, Nev. man who is charged in the "Double Initial" killings, so called because victims had the same initial in their first and last names. Naso has pleaded not guilty to four murder charges in the slayings of reputed prostitutes between 1977 and 1994.

"Girl in north Buffalo woods. She was real pretty. Had to knock her out first," read one entry in Naso's journal, the D.A. said.

Nevada Department of Public Safety Det. Richard Brown said the journal was filled with such descriptions, and that Naso used the word rape in other sections.

Deputy District Attorney Dori Ahana also reviewed dozens of photographs and photo collages siezed from Naso's Reno home during searches on April 23 and May 7, 2010, reports CBS San Francisco. The photos show nine women posing nude or partially nude, some of whom appear to be unconscious or deceased, including two prostitutes Naso is charged with killing, Pamela Parsons and Tracy Tafoya.

In a bedroom in Naso's home, investigators also found a "List of 10" that contained scrawled descriptions of 10 women, including four references that prosecutors believe described murder victims -- Roxene Roggasch, 18, Carmen Colon, 22, Parsons, 38, and Tafoya, 31.

Six other women referred to on the list have not yet been identified,.

The preliminary hearing is providing the first in-depth look at the prosecution's case against Naso and his lifestyle. At the end, the judge will determine if prosecutors have enough evidence to take Naso to trial.

The 78-year-old former photographer is acting as his own lawyer.

More on Crimesider
May 6, 2011 - "Double Initial" murder suspect Joseph Naso will represent himself, Calif. judge rules
April 13, 2011 - Is Joseph Naso, suspected Calif. murderer, the "Double Initial" serial killer?

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