"Grim Sleeper" Serial Killer in CA Enjoys Success for 23 Years *ARREST MADE*

[jlt080405]

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Los Angeles, California, police detectives are looking for a serial killer who they believe killed at least 11 people, many of them prostitutes, over a 23-year period.

Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Charlie Beck said DNA evidence and ballistics tests have convinced detectives that the same killer is connected to the slayings in Los Angeles and Inglewood.

The victims were prostitutes or drug users who were sexually assaulted and then shot and dumped in alleyways or in Dumpsters, police said.

"We have a lot of evidence, and the connection between so many cases of DNA will allow us to eventually solve this," Beck said.

The most recent killing, in January 2007, was tied exclusively to DNA analysis to another case after 13 years. However, detectives have not been able to identify the killer through state or federal DNA databases of convicted felons.

According to Beck, authorities are still examining more than 50,000 inmates in state prison for similar crimes, but not all of them have DNA profiles.

One theory investigators are exploring about the gaps between the killings is the possibility that the killer served time in prison. Authorities are scouring files of inmates who were in prison serving time during periods of the killer's apparent inactivity.

All of the victims are young African-American females except for one black man.

The first known slaying occurred in 1985, when 29-year-old Debra Jackson was shot multiple times in the chest, police said.

Three years passed before detectives realized that the same weapon used to kill Jackson was used in seven other killings.

In 1988, a woman was sexually assaulted and shot. She survived and gave police a vague description of the suspect. However, Beck said the description was not enough for authorities to draw a composite sketch.

Those cases went cold until detectives connected three additional murders since 2002 based primarily on recently developed DNA technology.

Beck said authorities preserved fluid samples of DNA the killer left behind in earlier killings and found conclusive similarities on the body of three victims, including the most recent slaying from 2007.

Dozens of suspects that detectives previously considered were also ruled out based on DNA evidence, according to Beck.

Another theory investigators are examining is the possibility the killer may have left the state of California and committed crimes in other parts of the country.

"This is the mind of a maniac, but we have a tight victim profile and powerful evidence that has taken us across the country," Beck said. "The victims are the most vulnerable in society, and we know the suspect is involved in prostitution. Eventually, we will find him."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/30/...eref=rss_crime

sorry if i missed this post somewhere

[katyk]

Dude!!! I read about this the other day in the LA times. I didn't post it because I have an irrational fear that I will be killed by a serial killer and there's one on the loose in my city!!!! I live in a good neighborhood, and I am not a prostitute, but it still freaks the shit out of me. I hope they catch his ass soon!!

Scared monkey.

[jlt080405]

Dude!!! I read about this the other day in the LA times. I didn't post it because I have an irrational fear that I will be killed by a serial killer and there's one on the loose in my city!!!! I live in a good neighborhood, and I am not a prostitute, but it still freaks the shit out of me. I hope they catch his ass soon!!

Scared monkey.

I hear you it is terrifying for those that live in a city where a serial killer is active, especially for 23 years. Interesting case they are building too.

[Unamused Cat]

Police in Los Angeles have offered a $500,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a serial killer dubbed the 'Grim Sleeper', who is thought to be behind at least eleven grisly murders.

In a string of attacks spanning two decades, ten women and a man have been shot, with the same weapon, and dumped in close proximity to each other in and around the South Central area of the city.

All the victims are black, and at least some of the women were prostitutes. A majority had been sexually assaulted after their deaths, and most of their bodies were dumped in the same alleyway.

The killer first struck in 1985, but his existence has only recently become public knowledge. He was responsible for eight deaths in the following three years, before disappearing off the radar.

In 2002, after a break of more than 13 years, he returned to the scene of former crimes, killing 14-year-old Princess Berthomieux. Her body was found beaten and strangled in an alley in the city of Inglewood. Another murder, in which the DNA profile of the murderer matched that of earlier victims, followed in 2003.

The most recent homicide occurred in January 2007, when the body of 25-year-old Janecia Peters was found shot and covered in a garbage bag, in the same area.

Despite the extended time-span of the killings, details of the more recent murders have only just emerged. They were revealed last week by the newspaper LA Weekly, which disclosed that the LA Police Department’s cold case unit was now working on the case.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...gs-920679.html

[Abroad]

The killer first struck in 1985, but his existence has only recently become public knowledge. He was responsible for eight deaths in the following three years, before disappearing off the radar.

In 2002, after a break of more than 13 years, he returned to the scene of former crimes, killing 14-year-old Princess Berthomieux. Her body was found beaten and strangled in an alley in the city of Inglewood. Another murder, in which the DNA profile of the murderer matched that of earlier victims, followed in 2003.

The most recent homicide occurred in January 2007, when the body of 25-year-old Janecia Peters was found shot and covered in a garbage bag, in the same area.

This goes against all the received wisdom on serial killers, - that they cannot stop once they've started, that their murders invariably escalate in frequency. Though I suppose the professionals started revising their manuals when BTK was identified......

I wonder where this one was for 13 years? What was he doing? Who was he with? One assumes he would have been caught by now if his DNA was on record anywhere, so he probably was not staying at Hotel Greybar.

[Gilbrit]

There may not have been a cooling off period of 13 years.
The bodies may not have been found yet.

The FBI defines serial murder as:

A minimum of three to four victims, with a "cooling off" period in between;
The killer is usually a stranger to the victim — the murders appear unconnected or random;
The murders reflect a need to sadistically dominate the victim;
The murder is rarely "for profit"; the motive is psychological, not material;
The victim may have "symbolic" value for the killer; method of killing may reveal this meaning;
Killers often choose victims who are vulnerable (prostitutes, runaways, etc.)
Statistically, the average serial killer is a white male from a lower-to-middle-class background, usually in his twenties or thirties. Many were physically or emotionally abused by parents. Some were adopted. As children, fledgling serial killers often set fires, torture animals, and wet their beds (these red-flag behaviors are known as the "triad" of symptoms.) Brain injuries are common. Some are very intelligent and have shown great promise as successful professionals. They are also fascinated with the police and authority in general. They have either attempted to become police themselves but were rejected, worked as security guards, or served in the military. Many, including John Gacy, the Hillside Stranglers, andTed Bundy, have disguised themselves as law enforcement officials to gain access to their victims.

More Info

[Abroad]

There may not have been a cooling off period of 13 years.
The bodies may not have been found yet.

That is certainly a possibility; but in that case where has he been hiding them? And why has he returned to his old methods and dumping ground since the turn of the millenium?

Something happened in his life. It may be as simple as he was living (and murdering) in another town for those 13 years......

[Unamused Cat]

He could have been in prison for all those years. Or maybe he just took a long break like the Dennis Rader, the BTK killer.

[Unamused Cat]

[crickett]

The majority of the female victims have the same basic facial shape and facial features. Long thin faces with rather elongated noses. Lips of approximately the same shape and size.
I pray that they find this freak before he (or she) kills again.

[jlt080405]

Wonder what the final tally will be...

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Investigators are reviewing at least 30 unsolved murder cases for possible links to an unidentified serial killer suspected in at least 11 slayings since 1985.


Family members of one of the "Grim Sleeper's" victims speak at a news conference.

The unsolved cases have many similarities to those carried out by the serial killer, including locations where the bodies were dumped, Los Angeles, California, police Detective Dennis Kilcoyne said Friday.

He estimated at least six of the 30 cases would be linked to the murderer.

"We don't know who he is, but his numbers are building," Kilcoyne said. "Once we are done, I am quite confident this will exceed anything we have ever seen in the city."

Kilcoyne's comments came after the Los Angeles Police Department held a news conference to announce for the second time a city-funded reward of up to $500,000 for information. The reward was first announced last week but authorities distributed the wrong phone number for the public to call so responses were limited.

The killer apparently operated in two distinct periods, first from 1985 to 1987, when he allegedly killed seven women and a man. He is known to have killed again three times since 2002, most recently in January 2007.

The victims in the 30 unsolved cases were all women. Many were dumped in a South Los Angeles location, the same area as many of the killer's other victims, Kilcoyne said. Many of the killer's victims worked as prostitutes and he had sexually abused them.

Don't Miss
Reward offered for 'Grim Sleeper' serial killer
Police: Serial killer is loose in California
"He's a maniac. He's a broken person," Deputy Police Chief Charlie Beck said when asked about possible motives.

Police have a DNA sample of the killer but have been unable to find a match in any prison database. Detectives want to run the sample against wider databases to see if it is similar to any family members, but California Attorney General Jerry Brown has not yet approved this.

One physical description exists, taken from a victim who survived a 1988 attack. She said the assailant was a black man in his 30s driving an orange Ford Pinto, though police said her account is not reliable because she was so traumatized.

Kilcoyne said the killer now would likely be aged from 43 to his late 50s.

The hiatus between episodes prompted the LA Weekly newspaper, which first reported the case, to dub the killer the "Grim Sleeper."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/09/15/...eref=rss_crime

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Police have released a recording of a 1987 emergency call in hopes of tracking down the man dubbed the "Grim Sleeper," who has killed at least 11 times in nearly a quarter century.

"It's a long shot, that's for sure," said Detective Dennis Kilcoyne. "I am hoping a couple people call us. ... Maybe that will lead us to something."
[...]
On the two-minute call, a man described to a dispatcher how he'd seen someone drop the body off from the van, then throw a gas tank on top of her. He said he didn't see the man driving the van.

"I'd like to report a murder - a dead body or something," the caller said. "He threw her out ... the only thing you can see out is her feet."

When asked for his name, the caller declined.

"I know too many people," he said, then hung up.
[...]
Police don't know why the killer took a 14-year hiatus but the gap led the LA Weekly newspaper, which first wrote about him, to dub him the "Grim Sleeper."

Investigators think the killer had other victims, but their bodies either were never found or investigators failed to connect him.

"You start putting bodies in commercial Dumpsters in the city," Kilcoyne said. "There's a lot of them in the landfill."

Kilcoyne thinks a woman found strangled in an alley in 1987 may turn out to be the killer's 12th victim.

One description of the suspect exists - from a woman who survived an attack in 1988. She recalled him driving an orange Pinto and offering her a ride to her sister's house.
[...]
Time could work in Kilcoyne's favor, as most serial killers are ultimately captured, Levin said.

"But there's a very good chance the police will have to wait for him to attack again," he said. "They have to wait until the killer makes the fatal mistake."

http://www.kolotv.com/californianews.../40324037.html

[Abroad]

An orange Pinto? I'd be traumatized, too



It'll be interesting to see how many of those unsolved cases are actually his. And it will be even more interesting to discover whether they tie up across the long hiatus, or if they reinforce it?

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Police are hoping that a composite drawing of a suspected serial killer will help detectives today identify the man responsible for the so-called Grim Sleeper murders between 1985 and 2007 in Los Angeles, Inglewood and Lennox.

The composite drawing was re-released by Los Angeles Police Department Monday.

The suspect in at least 11 killings was described as black, in his 20s, between 5 feet 8 and 5 feet 10 inches tall, around 160 pounds, soft-spoken, articulate, with neatly trimmed hair and a pocked-marked face.

The suspect's identity has not been determined, but a surviving victim provided information used for the composite drawing, which was initially released early this year, said Officer Norma Eisenman of LAPD's Media Relations Section.

DNA and ballistics evidence has connected the killings of 10 women and one man between 1985 and 2007, according to police. After 1988, the killer did not commit any known homicides until 2002. He last struck on Jan. 1, 2007.
[...]

The moniker "Grim Sleeper" was coined by LA Weekly reporter Christine Pelisek in August 2008 and adopted by the Los Angeles Police Department in February.

The nickname is intended to convey the fact that a purported serial killer apparently stopped murdering for 13 years, then became active again in 2002.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/crimeandcourts/ci_13856921

[Ninja0980]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100707/...eeper_killings

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police made an arrest Wednesday in the "Grim Sleeper" serial killings in which a man is believed to have killed 11 people since 1985, a law enforcement official said.

The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and asked to remain anonymous, told The Associated Press the arrest was made but did not immediately provide a name or other details.

"Today is a good day," Donnell Alexander, the brother of victim Monique Alexander, said as he watched police activity outside the South Los Angeles house where the arrest was made.

Detectives have spent years probing at least 11 slayings between 1985 and 2007 in which the killer targeted young black women and one man.

The killer was dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" because he apparently took a 14-year hiatus in his crimes.

Dozens of police officials closed off a block around the 81st Street house where the arrest was made.

Neighbors described the man who lives there as friendly and quiet. They said he was often seen working on cars in his front yard and would sometimes stop to chat with passers-by.

Neighbor Brenda Locker, a retired city employee, said the man used to work for the city as a mechanic at the 77th Street police station and had retired.

Alexander joined a crowd at the end of the block where the distinctive green house is located. A mobile command post was parked out front, and a line of police tents sheltered tables in the front yard.

Alexander said he always kept faith there would be an arrest.

"You don't think about it every day, but every birthday, every holiday, every Christmas," he said. "It's not closure but it helps."

I'm glad there can finally be justice for these women.

[Hellsbells]

Arrest made in Grim Sleeper case

The LA Times and KTLA are naming the suspect as Lonnie David Franklin Jr, 51. Aerial footage showed police searching cars in the garage of Franklin's home in south Los Angeles.

Nicknamed for taking long breaks in between attacks, the killer is believed to be responsible for at least 11 deaths since 1985 in south Los Angeles. The killer targets black women, some working as prostitutes, using the same small caliber weapon.

Examine CNN's interactive evidence case file on the "Grim Sleeper"

Officials struggled to find new leads partially because the changing makeup of the neighborhood where the crimes were committed makes it unlikely that any possible witnesses are still around. The killer left behind DNA and fingerprints that police were unable to match to a name.

In May, new composite sketches went up on billboards across Los Angeles as police intensified their hunt for the serial killer.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/07...pt=T1&iref=BN1

[Valasca]

Holy fucking shit!
It's BTK all over!
I'll be waiting for this book.

[Hellsbells]

http://www.dreamindemon.com/forums/s...t=grim+sleeper
from 2008

[Rawrehz]

never even knew this was going on.... wow over 20 years.

Wonder what his vice was... looking forward to the upcoming THS documentary special :)

[Whisper]

"Grim Sleeper" Arrest Made by Los Angeles Police Department
LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) Los Angeles police arrested a man in the city's "Grim Sleeper" serial killings Wednesday after decades of frustrated investigations into at least 11 slayings that occurred between 1985 and 2007.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley said Lonnie Franklin Jr. will be charged with 10 counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and special circumstance allegations that could make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

The killer was called the "Grim Sleeper" because he took a 14-year break in his crimes.

Franklin's age was unclear, with different agencies saying he is 51 or 57.

Dozens of cops barricaded a block around the 81st Street house where the arrest was made. Neighbors depicted the man who resides there as "friendly" and "quiet." He was known to start conversations with pedestrians and was often seen working on cars in his front yard.

The "Grim Sleeper" case has been an open case for police even with the killer's DNA, a description from a sole survivor and a reward of $500,000. All the victim's bodies were found outdoors often in alleys either shot, strangled or both. The killer usually committed some form of sexual assault before slaying his victim. Ten victims were women, many of them were prostitutes.

More than 30 detectives investigated the frequent murders in the 1980s, but after a few years leads became scarce. Detectives built a special squad after the June 2007 "Grim Sleeper" slaying of 25-year-old Janecia Peters, whose body was found shot in a trash can.

Police were given a description of the "Grim Sleeper" from the one victim who survived, a woman who was sexually assaulted and shot. She told authorities a man offered her a ride to her sister's house. He had chiseled features, was wearing a black polo shirt and drove an orange Ford Pinto. They talked in his car, then he shot her in the chest, sexually assaulted her and shoved her out of the vehicle.


Police continued to look for tips and any evidence that would lead them closer to the elusive killer. In 2009, police released the emergency telephone call from a man who informed police of the whereabouts of the Jan. 1987 killing of Barbara Ware hoping that someone, somewhere would recognize the man's voice.

[...]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_1...93-504083.html

[Whisper]

Arrest made in Los Angeles Grim Sleeper serial killer case
(CNN) -- Authorities in California said Wednesday they have arrested a suspect in the Grim Sleeper serial killer case and will charge him with 10 counts of murder.

Lonnie David Franklin Jr., 57, faces an additional count of attempted murder, Capt. Kevin McClure with the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Franklin will arraigned in court Thursday morning, McClure said.
The California Attorney General's office attributed the arrest to DNA collected from a relative of the suspect, in a controversial and rarely used practice known as familial DNA search.

Nicknamed for taking long breaks between attacks, the Grim Sleeper is believed responsible for at least 11 deaths since 1985 in south Los Angeles. The killer targeted black women, some working as prostitutes, using the same small caliber weapon.

Margaret Prescod, who founded the Black Coalition Fighting Back Serial Murders and worked with the families of victims in the case, said the Grim Sleeper Task Force informed her of the arrest Wednesday.

Prescod said Det. Dennis Kilcoyne, head of the task force, told her that unlike a previous arrest in the case that turned out to be wrong, he was sure they had gotten their man this time.
[...]
Prescod said she is "cautiously optimistic" about the development because there was an arrest years ago in the case, which police touted as solidly based on ballistics evidence, but turned out to be false.

If Franklin turns out to be the Grim Sleeper, "it would be a huge relief, not only for the [victims' families], but for the entire community that remained at threat," Prescod said.

"We are mortified that it has taken this long to make an arrest but nevertheless, one is always glad when there is a breakthrough and we can only hope right now that it is a solid breakthrough."

California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. said California's familial DNA search program led to the identification and arrest of Franklin.
The program -- which was enacted in 2008 against opposition from civil rights groups -- uses the DNA of family members to find suspects in cases of great risk to the public, Brown's office said in a press release.
Using the DNA of one of Franklin's family members, who had been convicted of a felony weapons charge, investigators established a familial connection between the family member and DNA collected at the murder scenes, the statement said. That connection was used to identify and arrest Franklin after his DNA was obtained.
"This arrest provides proof positive that familial DNA searches must be a part of law enforcement's crime-fighting arsenal. Although the adoption of this new state policy was unprecedented and controversial, in certain cases, it is the only way to bring a dangerous killer to justice," Brown said.
Prescod told CNN she met with victims' family members, who had many questions about the arrest. Family members were told not to give any details about the case or speak to the media until officials hold a press conference Thursday, she said.

Overall, Prescod said, there was a feeling of relief among the relatives of the serial killer's victims.

District Attorney Steve Cooley praised the commitment of the LAPD in solving this multidecade case.

"This was accomplished by the LAPD's hard work with great assistance from the California Department of Justice Division of Law Enforcement personnel," Cooley said.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa echoed Cooley's statement.

"There was a lot of painstaking work that went into this and we are very proud of the work our officers have done in making this happen," Villaraigosa said.

Prescod told CNN she had spoken with several of the victims' families, some of whom are members of her coalition, to tell them about the news.

She said family members were screaming and shouting on the phone when she told them the news, elated that perhaps they could find closure in the deaths of their loved ones.

Aerial footage on Wednesday showed police searching cars in the garage of the suspect's home in south Los Angeles -- not far from the corridor where the victims' bodies were dumped.

"That is indeed very close along the corridor that these murders happened," Prescod said of the location. "So it's not surprising, if this is the guy, that it would be someone who is from the neighborhood, familiar with the area."

The LAPD confirmed that they are also searching a second home in the area listed under Franklin's name.

Prescod said much of her organization's efforts focused on the area where Franklin was arrested.

"We went around there, going door-to-door to make sure people knew about the murders. At the time that we did that, most of the people hadn't even heard about the murders and people were concerned because they felt -- this is happening and we frankly don't know anything about it."

Before the arrest, officials struggled to find new leads partially because the changing makeup of the neighborhood where the crimes were committed made it difficult to find witnesses. The killer left behind DNA and fingerprints that police were unable to match to a name.

A 911 call made in 1987 reporting one of the murders led police to a van they believed was involved. But the trail went cold.

In May, new composite sketches of a suspect went up on billboards across Los Angeles as police intensified their hunt for the serial killer.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/07/07/...est/index.html



Im amazed how they used this new DNA method to catch him!!!

[claddaghgirl]

Would love to know what made him stop in the first place and what triggered him to pick up where he left off.

[Whisper]

BTK did same thing
Came back after many years not thinking about all the technology we have now
BTK was brought down by computers lol
This freak was brought down by DNA and not even his in a data bank but his son!!
I cant wait to see more caught with this method now that this one worked!!
I tell people all the time its almost impossible to get away with murder these days with all the forensics etc,etc

[Whisper]

Only one we have had here is Pickton out west
Coral Eugene Watts was American one also but I was watching Montell one day and it was about him and all of a sudden my bus stop I take on ozone days here instead of truck(bus is free those days) he had attempted to get a girl from there in late 70s I believe from that stop 1 block from my house
He had moved from Atlanta to Michigan when they began catching onto him and murders in Atlanta
Anyways he crossed over from Detroit to here for a chance to grab a girl and kill her
The girl got away but moved out west within a week nobody knew where she was and she only came back to film that snippet on Montell and they didnt show her face
Ill have to find the story and post it maybe tomorrow
Just weird when a serial killer is that close
Although I was small child and didnt live here at the time lol

[Whisper]

Makes me wonder what made him choose the ones he did choose?
B/c Coral Watts choose women with large brown almond shaped eyes
BTK was just evil

[Valasca]

BTK was... beyond evil.
I just finished the John Douglas book a few days ago. I cannot even write a review on it. I am still processing what he did.

THIS case, well, I'll be following it very closely. I want to know WHY he waited years between kills. WAS he likel BTK and "sated" for awhile between each kill, or are there dozens more women missing that we don't even know about?

[Whisper]

Yeah I just read a book on him not to long ago too
Total freak

[jlt080405]

damn...about time they caught this sicko! Yeah, this story will be one I think alot of people, including myself, will be following!

[Whisper]

"Grim Sleeper" Suspect Appears in Court
The "Grim Sleeper" is responsible for at least 11 deaths over a period of 22 years in the Los Angeles area.
LOS ANGELES -- The man police say is the notorious serial killer known as the "Grim Sleeper" made his first court appearance Thursday.
57-year-old Lonnie David Franklin Jr. was only in court for a few minutes.
His arraignment on 10 counts of murder has been postponed until Aug. 9.
Franklin was arrested at 9:20 a.m. Wednesday morning in front of his home on 81st street in South Los Angeles.
He was charged Wednesday with 10 counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and special circumstance allegations of multiple murders that could make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

The arrest ends a 25 year investigation into the deaths of 11 people dating back to 1985.
See the 'Grim Sleeper' Victims
Police say Franklin was linked to the crimes using a relatively new and controversial forensic technique known as 'Familial' DNA searching.
"Familial" searching allows investigators to look for close DNA matches in relatives when the suspect's DNA profile is not in the state database.

According to police, a DNA sample taken from his son in an unrelated case was found to bear a close resemblance to DNA found on the victims.
Cooley said detectives then used a discarded cup with Franklin's DNA to make the link.
Franklin worked as an attendant working on LAPD cars in 1981, and then later worked in the sanitation department. He has since been working as a private mechanic.
His arrest came as a shock to neighbors.
"He's the neighborhood mechanic" said neighbor Eric Robinson, 47.
"He volunteers at the park. A very good man. His daughter just graduated from college, I believe. He's a good mechanic, worked out of his garage. I've been here since 1976; that's how long I've known him. I'm not pretty shocked, I'm all the way shocked."
The 'Grim Sleeper' is believed responsible for the murders of 10 women and one man from 1985 to 2007.
After 1988, the killer did not commit any known homicides until 2002.
He last struck on Jan. 1, 2007.
A 12th victim escaped after she was shot and raped.
The 14-year hiatus between the two distinct sets of killings correspond to a time when Franklin was on disability, a law enforcement source said.
All the bodies were found outdoors, often in alleys a few miles south of downtown Los Angeles.
The victims were shot, strangled or both, usually after some kind of sexual contact.
Ten victims were women and several were prostitutes.
Police have said it's possible the male victim, Thomas Steele, who was shot in 1987, was a friend of another victim or discovered the killer's identity.
Franklin has twice been convicted of felonies, according to court records, both for receiving stolen property.

One was in 1993 and the other was 2003.
He served a year in jail for the first conviction and was sentenced to 270 days in jail in the 2003 case.
In 1997, he pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor battery.

As part of a plea deal, a charge of false imprisonment was dropped, according to court records.
In 1999, he was convicted of misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail.

Details of that case were not immediately available.

The "Grim Sleeper" was described in 1988 by the surviving victim as black, in his 20s, between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10, around 160 pounds, soft-spoken, articulate, with neatly trimmed hair and a pockmarked face.
Police released new composite sketches of the "Grim Sleeper" in December showing what the suspect may look like now.
In February, detectives released a recording of a 1987 emergency call as they searched for a suspect.
The witness called from a pay phone to say he had seen a man remove a woman's body from a blue and white 1976 Dodge van.
The man told the dispatcher the van's license plate was 1PZP746, and police located it about 30 minutes later at the now-defunct Cosmopolitan Cathedral.

The body the witness reported seeing was that of Barbara Ware, a 23-year-old with a history of prostitution who was found shot to death in a South Los Angeles alley in 1987.
[...]

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktl...9.story?page=2

Lonnie David Franklin, Jr., 57 July 8, 2010

[Valasca]

IDK, i know it happens, but it still flabberghasts me when an African-American is a serial killer.
THAT is not the face of evil. He's missing THAT LOOK that all of them had. Bundy, Rader, etc. They all had a look that just ins't describable. Something in the eyes that screams evil.
Either this guy doesn't have it, or he is very very good at hiding it.