I SURVIVED A SERIAL KILLER: The Grim Sleeper

Summary

Cold Case Files: I SURVIVED A SERIAL KILLER — The Grim Sleeper (May 2, 2026)

Episode Overview

This episode of Cold Case Files tells the harrowing story of Enietria Margette, the only known survivor of the Grim Sleeper, one of Los Angeles’ most infamous serial killers, Lonnie Franklin. Through firsthand accounts and expert insights, the episode dives deep into her 1988 attack, the cold case investigation that spanned decades, the chilling crimes connected by forensic evidence, and the eventual capture and conviction of Franklin. The episode balances shocking details, survivor testimony, and the role of dogged investigation and forensic innovation in achieving justice.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the Grim Sleeper Case (01:37–02:29)

• Introduction to Lonnie Franklin, identified as the notorious Grim Sleeper, and the lasting terror he inflicted on South Los Angeles for nearly two decades.
• "Police say Lonnie Franklin is the notorious Grim Sleeper serial killer who terrorized South Los Angeles for nearly two decades." — Narration (01:37)
• Establishing the character of the killer: calculated, remorseless, pursuing sick desires.

2. Survivor’s Story: Enietria Margette’s Ordeal (02:29–05:01, 05:45–09:55, 12:22–12:58)

The Encounter and Attack (02:29–05:01)

• Enietria recalls her life and the day of the attack in vivid, personal detail, from her initial wariness to being coaxed into Franklin’s car.
• She sensed “little warning” when he turned off the main road; his demeanor sharply shifted from friendly to hostile (03:48–04:10).
• "All of a sudden, the music just stopped. He shot me point blank in my chest. But I didn’t realize I had been shot." — Enietria Margette (04:12)

Surviving the Aftermath (05:45–09:55)

• Enietria recounts blacking out, regaining consciousness to the perpetrator taking photos, and realizing she was in serious danger.
• She details desperate efforts to escape, ultimately tumbling out of the car and navigating dark streets, using cars for support, leaving a trail of blood to her friend’s house.
• "When I got to Linda’s house, I started banging on the door… I realized nobody’s there because they done went to the party. I’ve lost a lot of blood. I don’t know how long I laid there." — Enietria Margette (09:15)
• After being found and hospitalized, she learns she’s been shot and raped—the trauma deepened by memory loss about the latter.

Dealing with Trauma (09:55–10:14, 12:22–12:58)

• Enietria discusses the emotional toll: fear, anxiety, and worries about the persistent threat.
• "It was rough. Now I’m really worried, because I didn’t know where he was or who he was. How do I know he’s not going to come after me?" — Enietria Margette (09:58)

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3. Law Enforcement & Forensics: Connecting the Cases (05:01–05:45, 12:33–14:42)

• Detective Cliff Shepherd and legal analyst Terry Austin explain the discovery and investigation:

  • Debra Jackson’s case in 1985 and a string of victims, all shot with the same .25 caliber handgun and dumped in alleys.
  • Enietria’s survival is critical—she provides the only living witness description of both attacker and car (orange Pinto).

• Forensic evidence (ballistics and later DNA) links the cases, but police initially hit dead ends.

  • "The bullet from her chest was compared to bullets from the other cases and they match… She was the only one that could give us a description." — Cliff Shepherd (12:33)

• Police hesitation to inform the public about a serial killer reflected worries about the killer going underground, but a 14-year lull in known murders followed.

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4. The Cold Case Breakthrough: New DNA Technology (13:31–15:12)

• By 2001, forensic technology allows cold case units to revisit unsolved cases through DNA analysis.

• In 2004, two more murders (with different MO: strangulation) are linked to the same DNA profile as the earlier killings.

  • "This guy, he didn’t stop. He’s still out there. How many other murders did he commit that we don’t know about?" — Cliff Shepherd (14:23)

• Media dubs the killer “the Grim Sleeper” due to his apparent long hiatus.

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5. Identifying and Capturing Lonnie Franklin (15:12–17:33)

• Investigators use innovative "familial DNA" matching, finding a relative convicted of a firearms violation, which leads them to Lonnie Franklin.
• Surveillance and a clever operation at a pizza parlor enable detectives to obtain Franklin’s discarded utensils for comparison—confirming the match.
  • "When everybody’s done, the detective moves in as an employee, starts collecting food and everything… It’s a match. We have our murderer." — Cliff Shepherd (16:06)
• Search of Franklin’s home uncovers the murder weapon and around 180 photographs of women, some unidentified and potentially more victims.

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6. Aftermath, Trial, and Survivor’s Empowerment (17:33–19:52)

• Enietria views her own crime scene photo and wrestles with emotional fallout: "I looked at it and thought, oh, my God, I was dead. That’s what it looked like… Heartbreaking." (17:33)

• Many women in Franklin’s photos remain unidentified, highlighting the tragedy’s scale.

• At trial, Enietria testifies: "At first I was very apprehensive, but then I saw him and I went, that’s him. That was the man who shot me. I just felt angry." (18:53)

• In May 2016, Lonnie Franklin is convicted of ten murders and Enietria’s attempted murder, sentenced to death.

• Franklin dies in prison in 2020 of natural causes.

• Enietria’s lasting words:

  • "I feel blessed. I finally settled down and was able to do things and live a life. I really don’t consider myself a survivor, because a survivor just survives… I am going further. I'm a conqueror." (19:52)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "He shot me point blank in my chest. But I didn’t realize I had been shot."
  — Enietria Margette (04:12)
• "When I got to Linda’s house, I started banging on the door... I’ve lost a lot of blood. I don’t know how long I laid there."
  — Enietria Margette (09:15)
• "We knew we had a serial murderer, and if we don’t identify somebody very soon, this could go on forever."
  — Cliff Shepherd (07:36)
• "She was the only one that could give us a description of what the guy looked like and a description of the car."
  — Cliff Shepherd (12:33)
• "At first I was very apprehensive, but then I saw him and I went, that’s him. That was the man who shot me."
  — Enietria Margette (18:53)
• "I really don’t consider myself a survivor, because a survivor just survives… I am going further. I’m a conqueror."
  — Enietria Margette (19:52)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment Topic | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------------|---------------| | Grim Sleeper background & survivor intro | 01:37–02:29 | | Enietria recounts the attack | 02:29–05:01 | | Connection to earlier victims & investigation | 05:01–06:55 | | Survivor’s escape and trauma aftermath | 06:55–10:14 | | Ballistics and survivor’s critical account | 12:22–12:58 | | Forensic breakthroughs and cold case discoveries | 13:31–15:12 | | DNA familial match and Franklin’s identification | 15:12–17:19 | | Arrest, evidence, and photo discovery | 17:19–17:52 | | The trial and Enietria’s empowered testimony | 18:48–19:52 | | Enietria’s closing reflections | 19:52–20:15 |

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Summary

This emotionally impactful episode scratches beneath the horror to reveal human resilience, the painstaking journey of survivors, and the tireless work of investigators. Enietria Margette’s courageous account is both the key to cracking this notorious case and a testament to turning victimhood into strength. The episode underscores advances in forensic science, the gaps that can plague even major investigations, and the unresolved pain of unidentified victims. Enietria’s final words ring as a call to empowerment—not just surviving, but conquering in the aftermath of unimaginable trauma.

Transcript

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[D]

Police say Lonnie Franklin is the notorious Grim Sleeper serial killer who terrorized South Los Angeles for nearly two decades.

[E]

Franklin was one of the most evil serial killers ever.

[D]

He enjoyed inflicting pain on people and seeing them suffer.

[A]

I get in the car all of a sudden he shot me point blank in my chest.

[E]

He is doing this to satisfy his sick desires.

[A]

I started fighting to get up and he was pushing me down and I just slumped against the seat. Oh he's trying to kill me.

[B]

Real people who faced death and lived to tell how this is I survived a serial killer.

[A]

I am Enietria Margette and I survived a serial killer in 1988. I was 27 years old living in South LA and I was doing the home health care at the time. It was a Saturday like 5:30 in the evening. I was walking over to my friend Linda's house. We were going to go to a party. I was walking past the store that's on the corner. The car caught my eye. It was an orange Pinto. And I was like, I know that's not a Pinto because you ain't seen no Pinto since 77. This guy came out the corner market. It saw me looking at his car and. And he hollered something. I kept walking and he hollered again. And then I turned around and said, I know you're not hollering at me because if you want to talk to me, you have to come to where I am. He got into his car and pulled up to where I was. He said, so you like my car? He was dark skinned, in his mid-30s, khakis and a polo. He didn't seem threatening. Then he started asking me where I was going. And I said, I'm going to my friend's house. He says, oh, I'll take you. I said, oh, no, no, no, no, I can walk. And he would see, that's what's wrong with you. Black women can't do nothing nice for y'.

[B]

All.

[A]

And I said, oh, where that come from? Just to prove a point. I was like, since it'll make you feel better, I'll let you take me there. I get in the car, I said, I'm going over here to Tinker is not that far. The radio was on. His demeanor was non threatening. We were having a nice conversation, and I started to relax. I was just looking out the window at the scenery. And he turned off a main thoroughfare. Little warning went off. Uh oh. I was like, wait a minute. This is not the street. His demeanor changed. He was angry. He said, I was dogging him out. All of a sudden, the music just stopped. He shot me point blank in my chest. But I didn't realize I had been shot. I didn't hear no gun, and I didn't see blood. But I knew something was really wrong. I was like, we're not going to panic. We're just going to figure out a way to get out this car. I reached for the door handle, and he said, bish, I'll shoot you again.

[B]

Cliff shepherd is a retired Los Angeles police detective.

[D]

Before Nitra was attacked in 1985, Deborah Jackson was one of the first ones found in South Los Angeles. Deborah was shot three times in the chest with a.25 caliber bullet. She had been there already a few days, so her body was in such a state that they couldn't really collect any sexual assault evidence. We had no witnesses. They have the bullets that the coroners recovered from the body. But there's no cartridge casings at the scene. Without any information to follow up on, her case went cold.

[A]

He was driving. And then I was thinking he might shoot me in the back of the head. I was like, please just let me out your car. I said, because if I do die, I'mma ask the Lord. Let me haunt you the rest of your life so that you will know you couldn't get away with this. He didn't say nothing. He just kept driving. I started feeling woozy. I was getting weak. I kept fading in and out. And then all of a sudden, I passed out. When I came to, I woke up to flashing lights. They clicked off and on. He was taking pictures. I was like, this dude is sick. I got to get up out of here. Everything was dark. I remember pressure being on my chest, and I couldn't breathe. I was trying to push wherever it was off, but I couldn't move. And then I heard this laugh. I started fighting, but it was just like I was paralyzed. And then I let out this long scream. I knew I was going to die.

[B]

Terry Austin is a legal analyst.

[E]

Enietria knew she was in trouble, but what she didn't know was that there was a string of other victims in South Los Angeles.

[D]

Henrietta Wright, she's found under a mattress in an alley, shot to death.

[E]

In January 1987, another victim, Barbara Ware, who was only 23 years old, was found in an alleyway, shot in the chest.

[D]

About four months later, Bernita Sparks was found in a dumpster.

[E]

Unfortunately, this was just the beginning. Over the next couple of years, three more bodies were found in South Los Angeles.

[D]

The victims were sexually assaulted. All of them had been shot in the chest anywhere from one to three times with the same firearm, a.25 caliber handgun, and then apparently pushed out of a vehicle or dumped in an alleyway. We knew we had a serial murderer, and if we don't identify somebody very soon, this could go on forever.

[A]

This guy is taking pictures of me. I was like, oh, no, got to get off. Got to get up. I started fighting to get up, and he was pushing me down. I was weak. I just slumped against the seat. And then he started driving. I was feeling on the door. I wasn't even sure if it was the door handle. I was hoping it was. I got to get out. That's all I know. I'm trying to figure it out. When I opened the door, he pushed me at the same time. Next thing I knew, I was just lying there. In the middle of the street. I was afraid he might drive back. I rolled to the curb, got up and I saw all the blood. I gotta find help. I started walking. I remember the street being so dark, no porch lights were on. I didn't see nobody. I just walked until I saw a sign and I realized I'm close to my friend Linda's house. I was holding onto cars, trying to steady myself. I was smearing blood on cars as I go by. When I got to Linda's house, I started babbing on the door. Come on, Linda, open up. Open up. I realized nobody's there because they done went to the party. I've lost a lot of blood. I don't know how long I laid there. She finally pulled up and I was like, call 911. Call 911. After a few minutes, the ambulance put up and I don't remember nothing else after that. I woke up. The doctor said they had pulled the bullet out. I didn't have a lot of damage internally. My ribs and the sternum helped deflect the bullet. They said when I was found, my underwear were hanging off under my skirt. I had been raped, but I didn't remember anything.

[B]

But

[A]

it was rough. Now I'm really worried because I didn't know where he was or who he was. How do I know he's not going to come after me?

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[A]

I was in the hospital. I had been shot and right to left with it. A couple of days later, the police asked me a lot of questions. I told them what happened.

[D]

The bullet from her chest was compared to bullets from the other cases and they match. They were all fired from the same firearm. So we know Enietria was one of his victims. Finally, we could get more information. She was the only one that could give us a description of what the guy looked like and a description of the car.

[E]

You would think that this orange Pinto would give the police a huge lead. And they looked everywhere, but they couldn't find the car.

[D]

We ran out of leads. The cases went cold and went into storage.

[E]

Even at this point, the police have not informed anyone that there might be a serial killer out there. They didn't want the killer to go underground, but that happened anyway. For the next 14 years, there are no other victims, or at least as

[D]

far as the police know, in November of 2001, because DNA was now the best way to catch somebody and identify them. LAPD put together a cold case unit.

[E]

The police actually went back to the sexual assault kit to gather DNA from the serial killer.

[D]

The DNA's run through the database, but we're not getting any matches. So we don't have a name to that suspect.

[E]

Then in 2004, the investigation took a crazy turn. Two more cases pop up. Princes Barthamu and Valerie McCorvey. They were not shot by that.25 caliber handgun. Instead, they were Both strangled, but both still matched the DNA profile from the killings back in the 1980s.

[D]

This guy, he didn't stop. He's still out there. How many other murders did he commit that we don't know about?

[E]

The media picked up on the fact that there was a serial killer and because of the long break that he took, they dubbed him the Grim sleeper.

[D]

At least 10 murders are attributed to the Grim Sleeper.

[A]

They don't even know who the guy was. That brought a lot of anxiety and panic attacks.

[E]

The police have a DNA profile of the killer, but they don't have his exact identity because the name is not in the database. So they turn to this new technology where they're able to take the DNA and match it to DNA from a family member.

[D]

It will give us a family name and then we have to do our work and narrow it down from there. There was a match to a young man who had been convicted of a firearms violation. We know he's not our murderer, but they found out other people that could be related and gave us three names and they gave us addresses. Well, guess what? One of those addresses right there at 81st street and Western and the person who lived at that address was named Lonnie Franklin.

[E]

Lonnie Franklin was a mechanic and used to work for the City of Los Angeles Sanitation Department. Franklin lived in the areas where they found the bodies.

[D]

We have to do a verification process and obtain a DNA sample. So we had every surveillance team in our police department following him to obtain anything he may discard that would have DNA on it. Lonnie and a group of people go to a pizza parlor in Orange County. The guy watching him contacts the manager and asks him if he can dress up as an employee and collect the food and utensils from that table. Manager says sure, go ahead. When everybody's done, the detective moves in as an employee, starts collecting food and everything. It's delivered to our laboratory. About two days later, finally we get an answer. It's a match. We have our murderer. This is him. This morning at about 9:20, we we made an arrest of the suspect that has been known to many as the Grim Sleeper. We were at his house conducting a search. We found the murder weapon and we found around 180 photographs. Women of all ages, from teens to senior citizens in various stages of dress or undress.

[E]

Of all these pictures, they find one is particularly disturbing.

[D]

Tonight, 57 year old Lonnie Franklin is under arrest, suspected of being a notorious serial killer dubbed the Grim Sleeper.

[A]

Detectives said they caught him. They found a Photo for me. I looked at it and thought, oh, my God, I was dead. That's what it looked like. I was slumped against the seat, and you could see the blood coming out of my shirt. The polaroids of the other women. Heartbreaking.

[D]

Were these trophies? Were these women he had murdered? I mean, there's no names on them. We don't know. Ultimately, we released the photographs to the news media. These photos go back 20 and 30 years. We need the public's help. We did have some people come forward, identify themselves, saying, that's me. I did allow him to take photographs of me. But a lot of the women weren't identified. We had others where we don't know to this day who they are, if they're alive or dead. Because Lonnie worked for the department of sanitation, we do believe some of them most likely ended up in a dump somewhere. He claims he never murdered anyone.

[E]

The police suspect that there are many more victims, but ultimately they only have enough deep and ballistics evidence to charge with the 10 murders and the one attempted murder.

[D]

During the trial, Nitra was able to testify against him.

[A]

At first I was very apprehensive, but then I saw him and I went, that's him. That was the man who shot me. I just felt angry. I thought, I forgave you, but I was wrong. Lord forgive me, but I was wrong.

[E]

In May of 2016, Lonnie Franklin is convicted of 10 counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.

[F]

We the jury fixed the penalty for

[A]

defendant lonnie David Franklin Jr. As death by execution. We can rest a little bit easier. We're able to put him away. He doesn't get to see the light of day no more.

[E]

In 2020, Lonnie Franklin actually cheated the executioner and died in his cell. There was no evidence of trauma.

[D]

Lonnie was one of the longest going serial murders that we had in Los Angeles. Without today's technology, we may never have caught him.

[A]

I feel blessed. I finally settled down and was able to do things and live a life. I really don't consider myself a survivor, because a survivor just survives. And that's a day to day. I am going further. I'm a conqueror.

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