The man known as the “Grim Sleeper,” responsible for the deaths of at least ten women, was sentenced to death in Los Angeles. His acts of terror spanned nearly 20 years, the first murder occurring on August 10, 1985, and the latest occurring in 2007. The death sentence came on Wednesday, a full 31 years after the first murder.
Born Lonnie David Franklin Jr. in Los Angeles, he spent time in the United States army before being discharged in 1975. After that, he spent his days as a garbage collector before and during the murders, though it remains unknown his true motive behind the killings. He gained the moniker “Grim Sleeper” because of the lengthy absence from killings between 1988-2012. During the span, Franklin targeted female sex workers, shooting them with a .25 caliber pistol. Only one suspected victim, a Thomas Steele, was male.
“I can’t think of anyone that I’ve encountered in all my many years in the criminal justice system that has committed the kind of monstrous, and the number of monstrous crimes, that you have,” Judge Kathleen Kennedy said to a stoic and unemotional Franklin.
Enietra Washington, the only survivor of Franklin’s victims spoke to her attempted-killer fearlessly. “You are truly a piece of evil. You’re right up there with (Charles) Manson.”
The call for the death penalty came unanimously by the jury, who only deliberated for a day before dealing a heavy handed justice. While the sentence came much to the joy of the victims’ family members, there is still a possibility that Franklin might not be executed. There will be an automatic appeal for any death sentences, and San Quentin, where Franklin is imprisoned, hasn’t executed an inmate since 2006. There are currently 750 inmates on death row.
But 31 years after the first killing, and 9 after the last, the “Grim Sleeper” has finally been found under a court of law, and the case of several gruesome murders can finally be closed. As Franklin was escorted from the courtroom, the sound of his shackles with mingled with the applause of those who were in attendance, mainly family members representing the murdered victims Franklin did so cold and maliciously.
