Nick Ut / AP
Ten young black women, their bodies dumped "like trash" in South Los Angeles after being killed by one of the area's most prolific serial killers, the so-called Grim Sleeper.
After six years of court proceedings, prosecutors on Monday reviewed the evidence against Lonnie Franklin — who is accused of killing the 10 women and attempting to kill another — as they delivered their closing statements, drawing gasps and tears from those in the Los Angeles courtroom.
“Jesus,” one woman said under her breath as Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman showed that the bodies of two women had been dumped in the same alley — 20 years apart.
Prosecutors say Franklin took advantage of vulnerable women and used his ability to move under the radar through the streets and alleys of South L.A. to evade capture for decades.
Jae C. Hong / AP
A series of killings in the 1980s stopped after one woman survived her unknown attacker's sexual assault and gunshot. In the 2000s, the killer resurfaced, claiming three more lives. The decade long pause spawned the Grim Sleeper nickname.
“These victims were all human beings,” Silverman told jurors. “Each of them deserved to be treated like human beings. None of them deserved to be murdered and dumped like trash as if their lives had no meaning.”
Debra Jackson, 29, was killed in 1985. Henrietta Wright, 34, was killed in 1986. Barbara Ware, 23; Bernita Sparks, 26; and Mary Lowe, 26, were killed in 1987. Lachrica Jefferson, 22, and Alicia Alexander were killed in 1988.
Princess Berthomieux, 15, was killed in 2002. Valerie McCorvey, 35, was killed in 2003, and Janecia Peters, 25, in 2007.
Damian Dovarganes / AP
For years, investigators knew they were dealing with a singular killer, but an identity eluded them.
“The defendant is a serial killer who was basically hiding in plain sight,” Silverman said. “He blended in. He lived in the community.”
It wasn't until 2010 that a new program to put California prisoners through familial DNA gave authorities a potential match. Franklin was identified as a suspect and put under surveillance.
In a creative turn, an LAPD detective went undercover as a busboy at a pizza restaurant where Franklin was eating lunch. Franklin's partially eaten pizza crust, napkin, and dishware were tested against the killer's profile, prosecutors said. They had a match, one that would later be proved to be 1 in 20 quintillion.
However, Franklin's attorney, Seymour Amster, has sought to cast doubt on the DNA and firearms evidence. He has also presented alternative experts, some of whose credentials have been questioned by prosecutors.
“Science is the only thing that stopped this serial killer,” Silverman said.
Amster was expected to deliver his closing arguments later in the day.
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