5 chilling facts about the Grim Sleeper

Cold Case Files: The Grim Sleeper is an upcoming 2-hour documentary set to release on A&E on Friday, November 8, 2024, at 9 pm ET/PT. It is narrated by Regina Hall and describes the spine-chilling case of the "Grim Sleeper", a serial killer from Los Angeles, later revealed to a person named Lonnie Franklin Jr.

The Grim Sleeper murdered several women from the 1980s to the mid-2000s in a terror-stricken neighborhood of Los Angeles. Most of these women were drug addicts or s*x workers from the African-American community, which led to unrest within the community, leaving law enforcement perplexed.

The documentary chronicles the case using firsthand narratives from survivors, as well as families of those murdered. According to A&E Network News, it also contains rare archival footage. The official synopsis of the documentary is:

“Cold Case Files: The Grim Sleeper” explores the crimes of infamous serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr. who preyed on women in South Central Los Angeles over a span of 25 years. Narrated by actress Regina Hall, the gripping true crime tale is interwoven with the real-life story of the search for an elusive killer and the fight for justice in a Los Angeles community.

Follow along with the article to learn about some of the most chilling details about the serial killer ahead of the release of the documentary.

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5 chilling details revealed about the serial killer Grim Sleeper

1) The Grim Sleeper shot, assaulted, and discarded his victims

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As per reports, a majority of the Grim Sleeper's targets were African-American women from South Central Los Angeles. He shot his victims with a .25 caliber pistol at point-blank range. Their s*xually assaulted and often partially clothed bodies were usually found discarded at random spots in the neighborhood such as gas stations and alleys.

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2) One of his victims survived and escaped after she was left for dead

Only one of his victims managed to escape her demise (image via Pexels)

As per reports, the first woman the Grim Sleeper killed was in 1984, but the first time a woman survived was in 1988. The woman, Enietra Washington, recounted details of how straitlaced the killer looked and how he persuaded her into his car.

He then shot her, assaulted her, took a Polaroid photo, and pushed her onto the street from his vehicle, from where she managed to drag herself to safety and report him to the police.

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3) After being inactive for more than a decade, he started killing again in 2002

The serial killer became inactive for 14 years (image via Unsplash)

Following Enietra Washington's statements, there was a 14-year-long gap between murders, from which the name "Grim Sleeper" was derived. When a string of bodies was discovered again between 2002-2007 having a similar modus operandi, the cold case unit of LAPD linked DNA evidence and ballistics to the 1980s murders. However, they still could not catch the killer owing to a lack of match in the national DNA database.

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4) The Grim Sleeper kept souvenirs of his victims

The twisted killer kept souvenirs of his victims (image via Unsplash)

When Lonnie Franklin's son was caught for an unrelated crime, his DNA was entered into the database, which fortunately enabled the LAPD to track and catch the Grim Sleeper.

Upon searching his property, police found several souvenirs from his victims, including jewelry, watches, and identity cards, along with over 500 photos of nude women or women engaged in s*xual acts. They also found a FIE Titan .25-caliber semiautomatic handgun.

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5) The serial killer murdered 10 women over a span of 23 years

Official sources confirm that he murdered 10 women (image via Pexels)

In 2016, a Los Angeles jury sentenced Lonnie Franklin to death for the murders of 10 women and the attempted murder of another. Franklin, detained without bail, was not charged for a suspected twelfth victim, a Black man, as there was no DNA evidence linking him to that case.

According to People, the prosecutor Silverman claimed that Franklin was a "s*xual predator," who killed women who “weren't submissive enough." Franklin was given a death sentence by a Los Angeles County jury on June 6, 2016.

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Franklin was formerly a corporal in the US Army, an LAPD mechanic, and a sanitation worker. He was found dead in his prison cell in March 2020. Although there were no signs of trauma, the cause of his death was never publicly released.

Tune into Cold Case Files: The Grim Sleeper on A&E at 9 pm ET on November 8, 2024.