'John Doe Duffel Bag' Convicted in Serial Killings

A clothing salesman on trial for the serial slayings of three New York City shopkeepers has been convicted of murder. Jurors deliberated for less than half an hour Wednesday in state Supreme Court in Brooklyn before finding Salvatore Perrone guilty of three counts of murder. A police detective testified the 67-year-old Staten Island man had carried a duffel bag containing a sawed-off rifle, a bloody knife, screwdrivers, switchblades, bleach, and a bloody handkerchief; he had been nicknamed "John Doe Duffel Bag" before he was caught.

The three storekeepers had been shot. One also had his throat slit. Perrone denied the charges against him and had several outbursts in court. He argued he didn't shoot anyone and was being framed. He faces a penalty of up to life in prison when he's sentenced on March 4. (A fourth store owner narrowly escaped Perrone.)