Los Angeles Superior Judge Kathleen Kennedy sentenced the “Grim Sleeper” to death during the hearing on Aug. 10, 2016. The serial killer, Lonnie David Franklin Jr., received this sentence in a courtroom full of his victims’ family and friends.
Judge Kennedy told the 63-year-old ex-garbageman that his crimes were “not justifiable under the laws of God or man.” She read the names of the 10 women the “Grim Sleeper” was convicted of slaying. After each name had been read, the judge told Franklin Jr., that he would suffer the penalty of death. The brutal killings took place between 1985 and 2007.
In the gallery, there were sounds of tearfulness, sighs, and other people repeatedly stated amen. Prior to giving the final sentence, Judge Kennedy allowed the victims’ families to address the court.
Laverne Peters told the court about her daughter being discovered in a dumpster where her body was placed inside a plastic bag in 2007. She proclaimed her desire for Franklin Jr. was to spend the rest of his life in a jail cell. She hopes his cell “become his trash bag.”
Another mother spoke directly to the “Grim Sleeper” asking for him to face her while she made her statement. Mary Alexander, gripped the podium when she asked him why he murdered her 18-year-old daughter. Franklin Jr. whispered his reply, but she loudly begged for an answer. He never spoke loud enough for her to hear. However, he did nod in response to Alexander’s accusing statement that her daughter did nothing to cause him harm.
One the “Grim Sleeper’s” victims did not perish and testified against him. His conviction was for the murders of 10 women between the ages of 15 and 35. There was some evidence brought forward during the penalty phase of the case which tied him to five more slayings. However, the investigators think the Grim Sleeper is linked to at least 25 murders.
He joined the ranks of California’s infamous serial killers who have killed innocent women. The “Grim Sleeper” disposed of their bodies alongside roads or in dumpsters.
Written by Cathy Milne
Source:
The Los Angeles Times: The ‘Grim Sleeper’ is sentenced to death for string of murders
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