This case was featured on Monday night’s People Magazine Investigates. Now learn more with People’s complete digital coverage.
The victims were all young vulnerable black women who lived in south Los Angeles and struggled with drug addiction. Their naked or partially clothed bodies were all dumped in the filthy neighborhood alleyways, left to rot under garbage and debris. They were shot at close range with a .25-caliber pistol, or strangled, or both.
For years, their cases lacked justice — or even an arrest.
But in May, following three months of testimony in Los Angeles Superior Court, Lonnie Franklin Jr.
The victims were all young vulnerable black women who lived in south Los Angeles and struggled with drug addiction. Their naked or partially clothed bodies were all dumped in the filthy neighborhood alleyways, left to rot under garbage and debris. They were shot at close range with a .25-caliber pistol, or strangled, or both.
For years, their cases lacked justice — or even an arrest.
But in May, following three months of testimony in Los Angeles Superior Court, Lonnie Franklin Jr.
- 12/27/2016
- by cpelisektimeinc
- PEOPLE.com
Lonnie David Franklin Jr., better known as the “Grim Sleeper,” has been sentenced to death. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy announced the decision on Wednesday, August 10.
In May, a jury convicted Franklin of 10 counts of murder: nine women and one teenage girl between 1985 and 2007. During the trial, prosecutors also connected him to several other murders, with detectives believing he may have been responsible for the deaths of at least 25 women.
“This is not a sentence of vengeance,” said the judge, who denied the defense’s motion for a new trial, as the Los Angeles Times notes. “It’s justice.”
Franklin, 63, was also convicted of attempted murder in connection with an attack on Enietra Washington, who survived and went on to testifying against him, calling Franklin a “piece of evil.” “You’re Satan representative,” she said. “You’re right up there with Manson.”
Read More: ‘Tales From the...
In May, a jury convicted Franklin of 10 counts of murder: nine women and one teenage girl between 1985 and 2007. During the trial, prosecutors also connected him to several other murders, with detectives believing he may have been responsible for the deaths of at least 25 women.
“This is not a sentence of vengeance,” said the judge, who denied the defense’s motion for a new trial, as the Los Angeles Times notes. “It’s justice.”
Franklin, 63, was also convicted of attempted murder in connection with an attack on Enietra Washington, who survived and went on to testifying against him, calling Franklin a “piece of evil.” “You’re Satan representative,” she said. “You’re right up there with Manson.”
Read More: ‘Tales From the...
- 8/11/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
On Wednesday, a Los Angeles judge sentenced Grim Sleeper serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr. to death for the murders of 10 women during a 23-year killing spree. "It is obvious you have a deep-seeded hatred for women that started long ago," said Los Angeles superior court judge Kathleen Kennedy when she imposed the sentence of death. "Why? I don't know." A bespectacled Franklin, wearing orange jail scrubs, stared straight ahead and showed no emotion when the judge handed down the sentence. The audience, filled with victims' family members, cheered and clapped when Franklin was soon escorted out of the courtroom. In May,...
- 8/10/2016
- by Christine Pelisek, @chrispelisek
- PEOPLE.com
On Wednesday, a Los Angeles judge sentenced Grim Sleeper serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr. to death for the murders of 10 women during a 23-year killing spree. "It is obvious you have a deep-seeded hatred for women that started long ago," said Los Angeles superior court judge Kathleen Kennedy when she imposed the sentence of death. "Why? I don't know." A bespectacled Franklin, wearing orange jail scrubs, stared straight ahead and showed no emotion when the judge handed down the sentence. The audience, filled with victims' family members, cheered and clapped when Franklin was soon escorted out of the courtroom. In May,...
- 8/10/2016
- by Christine Pelisek, @chrispelisek
- PEOPLE.com
More than 40 years after being gang raped by three U.S. military men in Stuttgart Germany, a woman identified only as Ingrid W. will face one of her attackers when she testifies Thursday in the penalty phase in the trial of convicted "Grim Sleeper" serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr. in Los Angeles. Franklin, 63, was found guilty earlier this month for the murders of 10 women and the attempted murder of another in South Los Angeles during a 23-year killing spree that began in the mid-1980s. In 1974, when Franklin was a private in the U.S. Army stationed in Stuttgart, Germany,...
- 5/26/2016
- by Christine Pelisek, @chrispelisek
- PEOPLE.com
As Los Angeles prosecutors seek the death penalty against convicted "Grim Sleeper" serial killer Lonnie Franklin, the mother of one of his victims told a jury Thursday she has never escaped the pain of her daughter's brutal murder more than two decades ago. "The hurt is still there, the pain is still there," Mary Alexander testified in Los Angeles Superior Court. Her daughter, Monique Alexander, was just 18 when she was found shot and strangled to death under a mattress in a South Los Angeles alley in 1988. On May 5, a Los Angeles jury found Franklin, 63, guilty of the murders of ten...
- 5/13/2016
- by K.C. Baker, @KCBaker77777
- PEOPLE.com
As Los Angeles prosecutors seek the death penalty against convicted "Grim Sleeper" serial killer Lonnie Franklin, the mother of one of his victims told a jury Thursday she has never escaped the pain of her daughter's brutal murder more than two decades ago. "The hurt is still there, the pain is still there," Mary Alexander testified in Los Angeles Superior Court. Her daughter, Monique Alexander, was just 18 when she was found shot and strangled to death under a mattress in a South Los Angeles alley in 1988. On May 5, a Los Angeles jury found Franklin, 63, guilty of the murders of ten...
- 5/13/2016
- by K.C. Baker, @KCBaker77777
- PEOPLE.com
After a day and a half of deliberations, a Los Angeles jury has found Lonnie Franklin, the so-called Grim Sleeper serial killer, guilty of the murder of 10 women and the attempted murder of another in South Los Angeles during a 23-year killing spree. The verdict brings to an end a nearly three-month trial featuring the testimony of more than 50 witnesses, including Grim Sleeper survivor Enietra Washington, who testified that Franklin shot her, sexually assaulted her, and took a Polaroid picture of her before pushing her out of his car 27 years ago. The penalty phase of the trial will begin May 12. Franklin,...
- 5/5/2016
- by Chrstine Pelisek, @chrispelisek
- PEOPLE.com
After a day and a half of deliberations, a Los Angeles jury has found Lonnie Franklin, the so-called Grim Sleeper serial killer, guilty of the murder of 10 women and the attempted murder of another in South Los Angeles during a 23-year killing spree. The verdict brings to an end a nearly three-month trial featuring the testimony of more than 50 witnesses, including Grim Sleeper survivor Enietra Washington, who testified that Franklin shot her, sexually assaulted her, and took a Polaroid picture of her before pushing her out of his car 27 years ago. The penalty phase of the trial will begin Monday.
- 5/5/2016
- by Chrstine Pelisek, @chrispelisek
- PEOPLE.com
The victims were all young vulnerable black women who lived in South Los Angeles and struggled with drug addiction. Their naked or partially clothed bodies were all dumped in the filthy neighborhood alleyways, left to rot under garbage and debris. They were shot at close range with a .25-caliber pistol, or strangled, or both. After three months of testimony in Los Angeles Superior Court, closing arguments have wrapped up in the trial of Lonnie Franklin Jr., the alleged "Grim Sleeper" serial killer who prosecutors say stalked South Los Angeles for more than 20 years. Franklin is charged with the murder of...
- 5/4/2016
- by Chrstine Pelisek, @chrispelisek
- PEOPLE.com
The victims were all young vulnerable black women who lived in South Los Angeles and struggled with drug addiction. Their naked or partially clothed bodies were all dumped in the filthy neighborhood alleyways, left to rot under garbage and debris. They were shot at close range with a .25-caliber pistol, or strangled, or both. After three months of testimony in Los Angeles Superior Court, closing arguments have wrapped up in the trial of Lonnie Franklin Jr., the alleged "Grim Sleeper" serial killer who prosecutors say stalked South Los Angeles for more than 20 years. Franklin is charged with the murder of...
- 5/4/2016
- by Chrstine Pelisek, @chrispelisek
- PEOPLE.com
On Monday, the defense in the trial of Lonnie Franklin Jr., the alleged Grim Sleeper serial killer accused of murdering ten women in Los Angeles over a 23-year beginning in 1984, began opening statements. Defense attorney Seymour Amster tried to debunk the prosecution's evidence, telling the jury that many of the victims had DNA from other males on their bodies and clothing. One of the victims, Princess Berthomieux, had DNA from a "minimum of three contributors" under her fingernails, Amster said. "At least two of the contributors were male and Lonnie Franklin was excluded as a source found underneath her fingernails,...
- 3/22/2016
- by Christine Pelisek, @chrispelisek
- PEOPLE.com
On Monday, the defense in the trial of Lonnie Franklin Jr., the alleged Grim Sleeper serial killer accused of murdering ten women in Los Angeles over a 23-year beginning in 1984, began opening statements. Defense attorney Seymour Amster tried to debunk the prosecution's evidence, telling the jury that many of the victims had DNA from other males on their bodies and clothing. One of the victims, Princess Berthomieux, had DNA from a "minimum of three contributors" under her fingernails, Amster said. "At least two of the contributors were male and Lonnie Franklin was excluded as a source found underneath her fingernails,...
- 3/22/2016
- by Christine Pelisek, @chrispelisek
- PEOPLE.com
The prosecution rested its case in the Los Angeles trial of Lonnie Franklin, the alleged "Grim Sleeper" serial killer, after calling more than 40 witnesses. Franklin, a 63-year-old married father of two and former Lapd mechanic and city sanitation worker, is accused of murdering 10 women and attempting to murder another. He faces the death penalty for his alleged 23-year murder spree. He has pleaded not guilty. His trial began February 16. Prosecutors Beth Silverman and Marguerite Rizzo have painted Franklin as an opportunistic killer who preyed on vulnerable young women with drug addictions. His alleged victims were discovered in alleyways in South...
- 3/16/2016
- by Christine Pelisek, @chrispelisek
- PEOPLE.com
The prosecution rested its case in the Los Angeles trial of Lonnie Franklin, the alleged "Grim Sleeper" serial killer, after calling more than 40 witnesses. Franklin, a 63-year-old married father of two and former Lapd mechanic and city sanitation worker, is accused of murdering 10 women and attempting to murder another. He faces the death penalty for his alleged 23-year murder spree. He has pleaded not guilty. His trial began February 16. Prosecutors Beth Silverman and Marguerite Rizzo have painted Franklin as an opportunistic killer who preyed on vulnerable young women with drug addictions. His alleged victims were discovered in alleyways in South...
- 3/16/2016
- by Christine Pelisek, @chrispelisek
- PEOPLE.com
Enietra Washington, a then 30-year-old mother of two, was walking to her friend's house when a stranger pulled up next to her and politely offered her a ride in his orange Pinto. She initially declined the offer, but he continued to press, at one point saying, "That's what's wrong with you black women. People can't be nice to you." She changed her mind because she felt sorry for the man she described as short, in his early 30s, and dressed neatly in khakis and a button-up shirt. "I guess I appeared stand-offish and when he said it, I thought he...
- 2/26/2016
- by Christine Pelisek, @chrispelisek
- PEOPLE.com
Enietra Washington, a then 30-year-old mother of two, was walking to her friend's house when a stranger pulled up next to her and politely offered her a ride in his orange Pinto. She initially declined the offer, but he continued to press, at one point saying, "That's what's wrong with you black women. People can't be nice to you." She changed her mind because she felt sorry for the man she described as short, in his early 30s, and dressed neatly in khakis and a button-up shirt. "I guess I appeared stand-offish and when he said it, I thought he...
- 2/26/2016
- by Christine Pelisek, @chrispelisek
- PEOPLE.com
The first body was found in an alley in South Los Angeles in August of 1985. Debra Jackson, a cocktail waitress, had been shot three times in the chest. The last known victim, 25-year-old Janecia Peters, was discovered in a dumpster on January 1, 2007. She was strangled and shot in the back and placed in a fetal position inside a trash bag. There were eight more victims in between. "The evidence in the case will tell you a story about a serial killer who stalked the streets of South Los Angeles," said Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman during opening...
- 2/17/2016
- by Christine Pelisek, @chrispelisek
- PEOPLE.com
The first body was found in an alley in South Los Angeles in August of 1985. Debra Jackson, a cocktail waitress, had been shot three times in the chest. The last known victim, 25-year-old Janecia Peters, was discovered in a dumpster on January 1, 2007. She was strangled and shot in the back and placed in a fetal position inside a trash bag. There were eight more victims in between. "The evidence in the case will tell you a story about a serial killer who stalked the streets of South Los Angeles," said Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman during opening...
- 2/17/2016
- by Christine Pelisek, @chrispelisek
- PEOPLE.com
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