Lonnie Franklin Found Guilty Of Murder, Attempted Murder In 'Grim Sleeper' Trial
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — A South Los Angeles man accused in the "Grim Sleeper" killings of nine women and a teenage girl over a twenty-year period was convicted on ten murder charges and attempted murder.
Lonnie David Franklin Jr. faces a possible death sentence for the killings, which occurred over a 20-year period.
A penalty phase of trial will be held for jurors to recommend whether Franklin should be put to death or be sent to prison without the possibility of parole.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: "Grim Sleeper" Killings
Prosecutors said Franklin stalked vulnerable young black women in the South Los Angeles area during the crack cocaine epidemic.
The 10 victims, including a 15-year-old girl, were fatally shot or strangled and dumped in alleys. Some were prostitutes and most had traces of cocaine in their systems.
The killer was dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" because of an apparent 14-year gap after one woman survived an attack in 1988.
A defense lawyer claimed a "mystery man" was the killer, though the prosecutor said that theory was fabricated.
All of the victims were either strangled or shot — mostly in the chest — with a .25-caliber firearm.
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