Grim Sleeper Suspect Lonnie Franklin Jr. Had Criminal Record, But Not Enough Of One To Require DNA Test
Grim Sleeper serial murder suspect Lonnie Franklin Jr. was no stranger to authorities, even as neighbors said he once worked as a mechanic at the Los Angeles Police Department's 77th Division.
CBS2/KCAL9 Lonnie Franklin, Jr.
CBS2/KCAL9's David Goldstein found out this week that Franklin was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in 1999 and was sentenced to 90 days in jail; in 1993 and 2003 he was convicted of receiving stolen property and served less than a year behind bars. In all of these cases, his time was served in local jails and not in state prison, which could have changed the case years ago:
In state prison convicts are required to submit to DNA testing.
As LA Weekly first reported, Franklin was only recently accused in the 25-year murder spree after his son was arrested and had to submit a DNA sample that lead to the county's first use of "familial" testing to determine that his genetics allegedly matched evidence in most of the 12 murders connected to the Sleeper.
The District Attorney's office on Wednesday filed 10 counts of murder and one count of attempted murder against the suspect. One homicide believed to be connected to the Grim Sleeper, that of a man, did not result in a count as a result of apparently inconclusive testing. D.A. Steve Cooley told the Weekly that extra counts could be filed at a later time, however.
Franklin was scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court downtown at 1:30 p.m.
Email to Friend
Write to Editor
Print Article
