After a six-month delay, the Grim Sleeper finally faced a jury Tuesday on charges of 10 counts of murder, one suspected murder and one attempted murder of a man and multiple women in South Los Angeles.
Lonnie David Franklin Jr., the suspected serial killer, allegedly sexually assaulted and then murdered his victims; he began his killing spree in 1985 and killed his last victim in 2007. The nickname "Grim Sleeper" was coined after Franklin took a break from his crimes for 14 years, from 1988 to 2002.
In her opening statement in trial Tuesday, prosecutor Marguerite Rizzo introduced the background and the brutality involved in the deaths of the women and man. Rizzo said, "Most victims were users of cocaine and turned to prostitution to meet their cocaine needs."
The majority of the victims, ages 15-36, were avid cocaine users and found money in the sex trade to fund their addictions. In the causalities' autopsy reports, traces of cocaine were found, and Rizzo said Franklin took advantage of the victims' high state to lure them into his control. In addition to targeting those with addictions, Franklin murdered all African Americans who he found primarily in the alleyways of South Los Angeles.
"Most had gun shot wounds to the chest. Some were strangled. Some were both shot and strangled," Rizzo said. "But most were shot."
The victims were then found weeks and sometimes months after, when their bodies were rotted and found under debris, in dumpsters, under mattresses or in other trash. Some were found without bras on, without underwear on, or they were found completely naked. Although most were shot, no bullet casings were found near the victims, which means the Grim Sleeper transported the bodies to a dumping sight after murdering them.
The autopsies also found the same male's DNA in all of the victims. Though authorities found the DNA and confirmed sexual harassment occurred, they had yet to identify an attacker based on this.
Years of investigating lead to the arrest of Franklin in July of 2010, when he was charged with 10 counts of murder. A grand jury trial was set to begin on June 30, 2015, but Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy postponed the date four times before Franklin stood in trial against the people.
Franklin has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His defense attorney deferred the opening statement in trial Tuesday, allowing the prosecution to list its witnesses before presenting the defense's side to the jury.
Reach Staff Reporter Kate Lonczak here. Staff Reporter Courtney Burke also contributed to this reporting; reach her here.
Annenberg Media