Grim Sleeper

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Grim Sleeper
File:Lonnie David Franklin Jr..jpg
Lonnie David Franklin Jr. at his arraignment in 2010
Other names Lonnie David Franklin Jr.
Killings
Victims 10-25+ victims, 1 survivor (known)
Span of killings
 1985–2007 (known murders)
Country United States
State(s) California
Date apprehended
 2010

Grim Sleeper is the nickname[1][2] for convicted serial killer Lonnie David Franklin Jr.,[3] responsible for at least ten murders and one attempted murder in Los Angeles, California. The attacker was dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" because he appeared to have taken a 14-year break from his crimes, from 1988 to 2002.[4] In July 2010, Franklin was arrested as a suspect and, after many delays, his trial began in February 2016. He was convicted on all counts, May 5, 2016.[5][6]

Early Life

Franklin was born on August 30, 1952. He grew up in South Central Los Angeles. He married a Belizean woman named Sylvia and they have two children.

Investigation

In the 1980s, following the deaths of several women in South Los Angeles, California, community members formed the Black Coalition Fighting Back Serial Murders. The group pressured police into setting up a task force and to acknowledge the deaths as serial killings. The Coalition launched a media campaign and set a monetary reward aiming to capture the killer. The joint Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department-LAPD investigation determined that the crimes were committed by a single person labeled the "Southside Slayer." Their results were announced to the public on September 23, 1985.[7]

According to investigators, evidence was found suggesting that several serial killers were murdering women in South Los Angeles. Louis Craine committed at least two of the "Southside Slayer" murders, and Michael Hughes, Daniel Lee Siebert, and Ivan Hill at least one each.[8] A separate series of killings commenced with the murder of Debra Jackson and a different MO involving a firearm.[7] These became known, misleadingly, as the "Strawberry murders." Sheriff's Detective Ricky Ross was wrongfully arrested due to a ballistics error. Two decades later, the perpetrator of these crimes was named "Grim Sleeper" due to a long period of apparent inactivity between murders.[9]

In May 2007, the slaying of Janecia Peters, 25, was linked through DNA analysis to at least eleven unsolved murders in Los Angeles, the first of which occurred in 1985. This same year, in secrecy the LAPD formed the "800 Task Force", consisting of six detectives and overseen by the Robbery-Homicide Unit. After a four-month investigation, the LA Weekly investigative reporter Christine Pelisek broke the news of the task force's existence, the linking of Peters' killing to the earlier murders, and the silence of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William J. Bratton regarding the killer's existence. The mayor and police chief never issued a press release nor warned the community. In some cases, LA Weekly was the first to inform the families that their daughters had long been confirmed as victims of a serial killer.[1]

In early September 2008, Los Angeles officials announced that they were offering a $500,000 reward to help catch the killer.[2] On November 1, the case was detailed on the Fox program America's Most Wanted.[10]

On February 25, 2009, Police Chief Bratton addressed the press for the first time regarding the case, at which time the police formally gave the killer the "Grim Sleeper" nickname chosen by L.A. Weekly. Bratton also released a 911 call from the 1980s in which a man reported seeing a body being dumped by the Grim Sleeper, giving a detailed description and license plate number of a van connected with the now-closed Cosmopolitan Church.[11]

In March 2009, reporter Pelisek did an extensive interview with Enietra Washington, the sole survivor of the Grim Sleeper's attacks.[12][13] She described him as "a black man in his early 30s [...] He looked neat. Tidy. Kind of geeky. He wore a black polo shirt tucked into khaki trousers." She also described the interior and exterior of his vehicle.[14]

Arrest

On July 7, 2010, the Los Angeles Times reported that an arrest had been made. District Attorney Steve Cooley identified the suspect as 57-year-old Lonnie David Franklin Jr. (born August 30, 1952), a mechanic who worked between 1981 and 1988 for the City of Los Angeles in the sanitation department and briefly for the police department.[4] Franklin was identified for arrest, at least in part, on familial DNA analysis.[15]

Police had been unable to find an exact match between DNA found at the crime scenes and any of the profiles in California's DNA profile database. Police then searched the database for stored profiles that demonstrated sufficient similarity to allow police to infer a familial relationship.

Police eventually located similar DNA belonging to Franklin's son, Christopher, who had been convicted of a felony weapons charge. According to Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, detectives then used a piece of discarded pizza with Franklin's DNA to make the link. One Los Angeles undercover police officer pretended to be a waiter at a restaurant where the suspect ate. He collected dishes, silverware, glasses, and pizza crusts to obtain DNA.[16] The identification was used to arrest Franklin after his DNA was obtained and deemed a match.[17] Saliva found on the victims established a DNA match linking Franklin to the deaths.[18]

Law enforcement missed an opportunity to catch Franklin because his DNA was never collected. In 2003, he was convicted of a felony and was serving three years of supervised probation. While on probation, his DNA was supposed to be entered in the DNA database, but in 2004, voters approved of Proposition 69, which requires that DNA must be collected for all people charged with a crime. It also requires the expansion of the DNA database. Authorities collected and sorted through thousands of DNA samples. In July 2005, Franklin was on unsupervised probation, but Franklin's DNA was not entered into the system. Probation officers did not collect DNA samples from people who were on unsupervised probation between November 2004 and August 2005. During that period, the probation department also did not have the resources to collect samples. Officers did not collect samples until August 2005.[19]

Franklin has a criminal record dating back to 1989. He was convicted of two charges of stolen property, one charge of misdemeanor assault, and one charge of battery. He served time for one of the charges of stolen property.[18] He was charged with 10 murders and 1 attempted murder. He is held without bail and could face the death penalty.[20] He is not charged in the death of an 11th suspected victim, an African American man, a crime for which DNA evidence was not found.[16]

On December 16, 2010, the Los Angeles Police Department released 180 photos of women found in Franklin's home. Police officials released the images after unsuccessful attempts to identify the individuals, possibly additional victims. "These people are not suspects, we don't even know if they are victims, but we do know this: Lonnie Franklin's reign of terror in the city of Los Angeles, which spanned well over two decades, culminating with almost a dozen murder victims, certainly needs to be investigated further," said Chief Charlie Beck of the LAPD. In all, investigators found over 1,000 photos and several hundred hours of video in his home.[21]

The images show mainly African American women of a wide age range, from teenagers to middle-aged and older, often nude. Police believe Franklin took many of the pictures, which show both conscious and unconscious individuals, dating back 30 years.[21] The photos were released to the public in an effort to identify the women.[22][23]

On November 3, 2011, Reuters reported that the police were considering Lonnie David Franklin as a suspect in six more slayings of additional female victims. The police were investigating two of the six as potential victims killed during a 14-year lapse between an initial spate of "Grim Sleeper" murders that ended in 1988 and several more that began in 2002. Of the remaining four victims, two bodies were discovered in the 1980s and two were reported missing in 2005 but the remains of the other two were never found, police said. Detectives said they linked Franklin to the six additional killings after reviewing hundreds of old case files and seeking the public's help in identifying a collection of 180 photographs of women and girls that were found in his possession.[24][25][26]

On May 5, 2016, after nearly three months of trial and a day and a half of jury deliberation, Lonnie David Franklin was convicted of 10 counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.[27][28]

Victims

The known killings began in 1985 in South Los Angeles. The "Grim Sleeper" apparently took a 14-year hiatus after his last known crime in 1988 and the series that began again in 2002 (leading to the epithet by which he is known), but this history may be only an accident of the evidence collected. The last confirmed slaying was in January 2007.[18] All of his victims were found outdoors, often in alleys a short distance from downtown Los Angeles.[29]

All but one of his victims were black women. One of his suspected victims was a black man.[20] Many of his victims were sex workers.[30] One witness recalls that Franklin frequently brought prostitutes into his home. He shot all of his victims with a .25 caliber gun.[18] Franklin took many photographs of nude women and kept the records in his garage.[31]

The Grim Sleeper's victims are as follows:[32][33]

Number Name Sex Age Body found Neighborhood
1 Debra Jackson F 29 August 10, 1985 Vermont-Slauson, Los Angeles
2 Henrietta Wright F 34 August 12, 1986 Hyde Park, Los Angeles
3 Thomas Steele ‡ M 36 August 14, 1986 Harvard Park, Los Angeles
4 Barbara Ware F 23 January 10, 1987 Central-Alameda, Los Angeles
5 Bernita Sparks F 26 April 15, 1987 Gramercy Park, Los Angeles
6 Mary Lowe F 26 November 1, 1987 Gramercy Park, Los Angeles
7 Lachrica Jefferson F 22 January 30, 1988 Westmont, Los Angeles County
8 Alice "Monique" Alexander F 18 September 11, 1988 Vermont Square, Los Angeles
9 Enietra "Margette" Washington‡‡ F 30 Survived Gramercy Park, Los Angeles
10 Princess Berthomieux F 15 March 19, 2002 Inglewood, California
11 Valerie McCorvey F 35 July 11, 2003 Westmont, Los Angeles County
12 Janecia Peters F 25 January 1, 2007 Gramercy Park, Los Angeles

‡ One of the Grim Sleeper's suspected victims, although there is no DNA evidence to support the accusation.[16] Police said that the male victim, Thomas Steele, possibly was a friend of another victim or had discovered the killer's identity.[29]
‡‡ Enietra "Margette" was told to use her middle name as her last name for her protection, but has since come forward as Enietra Margette Washington. Attacked on November 20, 1988, she is the only known survivor.[1]

Arrest and trial

On July 7, 2010, Lonnie David Franklin Jr., 57, was arrested. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office charged him with ten counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and special circumstance allegations of multiple murders in the case.[34][17] Franklin has been in jail since his arrest awaiting trial; the large volume of evidence in this case, some dating back thirty years, had caused a lengthy pretrial discovery.[35]

The trial was delayed several times and opened on February 16, 2016.[36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] Closing arguments began May 2, 2016[44] and the jury began deliberating May 4, 2016.[45] The jury convicted Franklin on all counts on May 5, 2016.[46]

Film

In 2014, British filmmaker Nick Broomfield created a documentary film about this serial killer, titled Tales of the Grim Sleeper.[47]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Christine Pelisek, Grim Sleeper Returns: He's Murdering Angelenos, as Cops Hunt his DNA, LA Weekly, August 28, 2008
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Grim Sleeper Serial Killer Hunted , SkyNews Report
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[full citation needed]
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Hailey Branson-Potts, "Grim Sleeper Victims: Who They Were," Los Angeles Times, February 16, 2016
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Grim Sleeper’s Defense Attorney Asks To Photograph Nearly 900 Pieces Of Evidence, CBS Los Angeles (December 2, 2013).
  36. ↑ Judge sets June trial date in 'Grim Sleeper' serial killings, Brian Melley, Daily Herald (6 February 2015)
  37. ↑ Trial delayed in 'Grim Sleeper' serial killings case, Marisa Gerber, Los Angeles Times (22 May 2015)
  38. ↑ Judge Postpones Trial Date In Grim Sleeper Killings, CBS Los Angeles (17 August 2015).
  39. ↑ Grim Sleeper Trial Delayed Yet Again as Antics Continue, LA WEEKLY (17 August 2015).
  40. ↑ Grim Sleeper serial killings: Repeatedly delayed trial is set for Oct. 14, Los Angeles Times (17 August 2015).
  41. ↑ 'Grim Sleeper' serial killings trial delayed again, Los Angeles Times (18 September 2015).
  42. ↑ Grim Sleeper serial killer trial begins, years after slayings terrorized South L.A., Los Angeles Times (16 February 2016)
  43. ↑ 'Day of reckoning is here': Grim Sleeper murder trial begins in Los Angeles, The Guardian (17 February 2016)
  44. ↑ Closing Arguments Begin In ‘Grim Sleeper’ Trial, CBS Los Angeles (2 May 2016).
  45. ↑ Jury Begins Deliberating Case Of Accused ‘Grim Sleeper’ Killer, CBS Los Angeles (4 May 2016).
  46. ↑ http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/05/us/grim-sleeper-trial-verdict/index.html
  47. ↑ "Overlooked by authorities in America, a British filmmaker tackles the Grim Sleeper," Toronto Star, 25 April 2014, WD5.

Further reading

  • [1] Brittny Mejia, "Grim Sleeper: Defense Backtracks on Expert Witness," Los Angeles Times, November 9, 2015
  • [2] Christine Pelisek, "LA Weekly Catches Grief Over Serial Killer Nickname," LA Weekly, September 2, 2008
  • [3] Joel Rubin and Richard Winton, "Police on the Hunt for Serial Killer," Los Angeles Times, August 29, 2008

External links

  • [4] Web site about the killings and the search for the killer
  • [5] CNN Special Report; includes list of victims, connections, evidence, suspects, theories and key players
  • [6] Google map of Grim Sleeper locations
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