A man has been charged with the contract killings of nine people in California, but claims he has murdered almost 40 people in all since he was 16.
Jose Manuel Martinez, who was allegedly working on behalf of a drug cartel, has only been officially charged on the nine California killings, but officials say they are apt to believe the much higher number he gave them due to details Martinez provided, reports The Associated Press.
The 51-year-old was picked up last year and is currently awaiting trial in Alabama on a different murder charge. On top of the California killings, Martinez also is on the hook for kidnapping and committing murder for financial gain.
He confessed to the large number of killings while talking with investigators in Alabama. According to the Los Angeles Times, Marion County Sherriff's Det. T.J. Watts spoke with CNN last year and said, "It's how he fed his family, is how he explained it."
Watts added, "And if he didn't do the job, someone else would do it."
The man Martinez allegedly killed in Alabama was over rude remarks the man made towards the killer's daughter.