Grim Sleeper Serial killer Country: USA

Biography of the Grim Sleeper

The Grim Sleeper is the nickname given to a serial killer who operated in Los Angeles, California. He is attributed to a total of 10 murders, one attempted murder, and another murder remains under question to this day. The authorities first became interested in the events in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s when the police discovered several female bodies in alleys and dumpsters in the southern part of the city. Detectives concluded that the murders were committed by the same person, and this grim fact was announced on September 23, 1985. At that time, the killer was referred to as the Southside Slayer. The investigation was complicated by the fact that there were several serial killers operating in Los Angeles, and it was only possible to catch them by determining which deaths were attributed to each of them.

Gradually, the list of victims of the Southside Slayer decreased. Two bodies were attributed to Louis Craine and Daniel Lee Siebert, and one each to Ivan Hill and Michael Hughes. Ultimately, several murders were identified that clearly stood out in terms of the attacker's modus operandi, and it was these murders that were recognized as the work of the Southside Slayer. The killer received his new nickname, the Grim Sleeper, due to an unusually long period of inactivity. His final attack was carried out in May 2007, two decades after his previous one.

During the investigation into the death of 25-year-old Janecia Peters, a DNA sample was obtained that matched the DNA of a person who had been accused of over ten murders in the mid-1980s. A special task force of seven detectives was assigned to investigate the activities of the killer. Four months after the start of the investigation, crime reporter Christine Pelisek wrote an article about the Grim Sleeper for 'LA Weekly'. She was particularly interested in the fact that neither Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa nor Police Chief William Bratton had previously mentioned that a serial killer had been operating in their jurisdiction for 23 years.

In 2008, 'LA Weekly' published another sensational article about the Grim Sleeper, featuring an interview with Enietra Washington, the only survivor of an encounter with the killer. Washington told reporters that she was attacked by a 30-year-old, well-dressed African-American man. The stranger convinced Washington to get into his car and drove her to an unfamiliar part of the city. They argued there, and it was there that the killer shot Washington in the chest with a small pistol. The shooter raped his victim, periodically taking photos of the scene before leaving her to die on the road.

In early September 2008, the city authorities offered a $500,000 reward for any information that could help capture the killer. At that time, the Grim Sleeper was accused of the murders of 10 women and one man. On November 1, the story of the killer was featured on the show 'America's Most Wanted', where journalists informed viewers that the killer was most likely African-American, although this had not been conclusively proven yet. On February 25, 2009, Bratton held a press conference where he finally provided official information about the progress of the investigation.

On July 7, 2010, 57-year-old Lonnie David Franklin Jr. was arrested. He is currently considered the prime suspect in the crimes of the Grim Sleeper, and he will have to face trial for all of the killer's acts.