The Grim Sleeper, Part 2

Summary

Cold Case Files: "The Grim Sleeper, Part 2"

Release Date: January 6, 2026
Host: Paula Barros (A&E / PodcastOne)
Episode Focus: The decades-long hunt for Los Angeles serial killer "The Grim Sleeper," his eventual capture, and the community’s fight for justice for his many victims.

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Overview

This episode concludes the harrowing story of the Grim Sleeper, a serial killer who preyed on women—primarily women of color—in South Central Los Angeles from the 1980s to the 2000s. Using first-hand survivor accounts, interviews with detectives, family members of victims, community members, and journalists, the episode traces the mammoth cold case investigation, the social circumstances that enabled the killer, and the emotional toll on the victims' families and neighborhoods. The narrative emphasizes the failures of the justice system, the transformative power of DNA technology, and the resilience of the community.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Victim’s Experience and Case Going Cold

• Enietria Washington’s Survival: Enietria survived a brutal attack in 1988 that marked the apparent end of the Grim Sleeper's early killing spree. After her attack, she describes feeling abandoned by the system and traumatized by her experience.
  • Quote: "I deserve to go after him. You did this to me. Why can't you put me in a room? We go one on one." – Enietria Washington ([00:57])
• After reporting a sighting of her attacker, Enietria’s hopes for justice are dashed as she fails to identify him among police photos. Feelings of frustration and neglect by law enforcement are clear.
  • Quote: “Years and years went by and the case went cold. I was really pissed off. They weren't really looking. …This is a black person. We don't care.” – Enietria Washington ([02:56])

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2. Breakthroughs in the Investigation & DNA Technology

• Cold Case Unit Reopens File: In 2004, detectives like Cliff Shepherd revisit the case, using new DNA techniques to link three 1980s victims to the same killer; however, the DNA doesn’t match anyone in the system ([03:38]–[04:20]).
• Unexpected Cold Hit: The same DNA is linked to a 2003 murder, disproving the assumption the killer stopped and revealing that he was still active ([04:50]).
  • Quote: "Everyone assumed that the guy stopped back in the 80s, but this guy was... still active after 16 years." – Detective ([04:50])
• Youngest Victim Identified: 15-year-old Princess Bartholomew’s story is shared in detail, bringing a new, tragic focus to the case ([06:11]–[08:09]). Her earlier life of horrific abuse and then stability in a loving foster home is recounted by family.

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3. Victims’ Lives and Community Impact

• Princess Bartholomew’s Story: Princess’s early rescue from abuse, years in a caring foster home, and ultimate loss after being placed in a new foster system are recounted by her sister Samara Harad ([06:11]).
  • Quote: "Her own biological father was pimping her out." – Samara ([06:11])
• The episode memorializes the victims’ humanity and highlights the pain their loss brought:
  • Quote: “There is no greater pain than the loss of a child. It's just. There's no comparison…” – Janisha Peters’s relative ([12:45])
• Pamela Brooks’ Narrow Escape: Pam, a sex worker, recounts a chilling encounter with the killer and her lucky escape ([09:44]–[12:24]).
  • Quote: "I'm lucky that he didn't shoot me, because I didn't do nothing he wanted me to do. Damn. I made it out to rapture." – Pamela Brooks ([12:06])

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4. Renewed Investigative Efforts and Public Awareness

• Detectives Push for a Task Force: After media reports and community agitation, the LAPD forms a task force as family members stress the importance of public awareness ([15:47], [16:08]).
  • Quote: "If this would have been in the white area, we would have flooded the area with cops and detectives and everything else. We have to have a task force." – Investigator ([16:08])
• Community’s Pain and Frustration: Family members express anger that police considered the cases "NHI"—no human involved ([18:57]).
  • Quote: "I don't care what mistakes you make in life, it doesn't make your life any less valuable." – Victim’s relative ([18:57])
  • Quote: "They thought of us as just crackheads, but we still was humans. We still had a mother." – Pamela Brooks ([19:16])

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5. Key Investigative Breakthroughs: The DNA Family Search

• The Use of Familial DNA: After years of dead ends, investigators use familial DNA, leading to a key break via the killer’s son’s DNA ([21:07]–[22:14]).
  • Quote: "They're basically looking for a relative, like a cousin, a brother, an uncle who is related to the killer..." – Detective ([21:07])
• Surveillance and Arrest: The police surveil Lonnie Franklin Jr., eventually nabbing his DNA from a pizza parlor, sealing the case ([23:38]–[24:24]).
  • Quote: "On day three, we get the call, this is him. It's a match. The DNA from all the victims match him." – Detective ([24:01])
• Physical Evidence: Weapons, women’s undergarments, stolen car parts, and hundreds of photographs are found at Franklin’s home ([24:24]–[25:54]).
  • Quote: "We continued digging and uncovering hundreds of photographs… some appeared as though they might have been dead. Were we looking at actual victims?" – Narrator ([25:54])

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6. Trial, Justice, and Reflection

• Trial and Sentencing: Franklin is found guilty of ten murders and the attempted murder of Enietria Washington ([31:11]). Judge Kennedy imposes the death penalty.
  • Quote: "I can't think of anyone... that has committed the kind of monstrous and the number of monstrous crimes that you have." – Judge Kennedy ([31:55])
• Lack of Closure but Community Healing: While family and survivors express relief at justice, the pain and systemic issues linger.
  • Quote: "There's no closure. I will never get past what he did. I felt just relief that no one else would have to go through this. Justice was served today, and I'm so eternally grateful." – Family Member ([32:31])

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7. Legacy, Community, and Forgiveness

• Community Bonds: Years later, victims’ families and survivors gather, sharing support and resilience.
  • Quote: "We bonded. Everybody's family." – Victim’s relative ([33:12])
  • Quote: "Unfortunately, people of color have had so many issues being represented. This would not have happened and gone this long had it been others." – Relative ([33:29])
• Messages of Forgiveness and Strength:
  • Quote: "You know, forgiveness is for you. It's not for him." – Community Member ([34:09])
  • Quote: "I won't forget. But I do forgive you because I know that you'll have a higher answering." – Family Member ([34:17])
• Franklin Dies in Prison: Lonnie Franklin died in a death row cell in March 2020 ([34:30]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He would victimize them and then just discards their body in alleys like they're trash. He is a monster.” – Detective ([00:44])
• "He mastered that image real good." – Community Member describing Franklin's double life ([27:26])
• "Why are you killing black women?" – Community Member, confronting broader issues ([27:41])
• “Justice was served today, and I'm so eternally grateful.” – Relative ([32:31])
• “I get up, and the first thing I say is, thank you, Father God. I am resilient.” – Enietria Washington ([34:56])

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:32 – What makes the Grim Sleeper case unique; intro to serial's timeline
• 01:35 – Enietria Washington’s survival, aftermath, and failed ID of attacker
• 03:38 – LAPD cold case unit begins re-investigation using DNA
• 04:33 – Discovery of DNA break linking old and new murders
• 06:11 – Princess Bartholomew's early life and tragic fate
• 09:44–12:24 – Pam Brooks’ close escape and reflection of life on the streets
• 15:11–16:25 – Community organizing and pressure for LAPD task force
• 18:57 – Discussion on "No Human Involved" and prejudice in investigation
• 21:07 – Introduction and impact of familial DNA matching
• 23:38–25:54 – Surveillance, arrest, and chilling evidence at Franklin’s house
• 31:11 – Jury verdict and sentencing
• 32:45–35:12 – Aftermath: family healing, resilience, and forgiveness

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Tone & Language

Throughout, the podcast maintains a respectful, direct, and sometimes raw tone, peppered with survivor testimony and frank detective assessment. The language—especially from survivors and family members—is heartfelt, sometimes bitter, but often focused on survival, community, and justice.

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Conclusion

By episode’s end, listeners fully grasp both the devastation wrought by Franklin’s crimes and the resilience of those left behind. Systemic neglect, the slow march of justice, and the tireless advocacy of families and community members are highlighted as powerful forces in finally closing one of America’s most infamous cold cases. The message is one of cautious hope—justice is possible, but only when all victims’ lives are valued.

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Transcript

[Narrator/Host]

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[Detective/Investigator]

Potential savings will vary.

[Narrator/Host]

Not available in all states.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

This program contains subject matter that may be disturbing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.

[Narrator/Host]

Since 1985, a murderer has roamed the streets of South Los Angeles.

[Detective/Investigator]

He's suspected of killing at least 11 women, young women who were involved in prostitution or illegal drugs.

He would victimize them and then just discards their body in alleys like they're trash. He is a monster.

In 1988, after an attack on a.

[Family Member/Relative]

Victim who got away, the killing stopped.

[Victim/Survivor]

Justice is supposed to be fair. Like, say, an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, right? I deserve to go after him. You did this to me. Why can't you put me in a room? We go one on one. I don't know what I could do. Let me do to you what you did to me. Can I sit there and repeatedly shoot you? Shoot you, shoot you, shoot you? Can I do it for all these women? All these women you done shot for the other victims? Can I have somebody rape you? Can we just push you out of a car and just leave you there? Can I do all those things to you? Wouldn't it be fair? That's how I thought of it. Wouldn't it be fair?

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

There are over 100,000 cold cases in America. Only about 1% are ever solved. This is one of those rare stories. In the winter of 1988, Enietria Washington survives an attack from the serial killer known as the Grim Sleeper. After her attack, leads dry up and the case goes cold. Cliff shepherd is a former LAPD detective.

[Detective/Investigator]

Anatria Washington was the last victim. Did he move? Was he put in prison? Did he just decide to quit?

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Then one year later, Enietria sees her attacker walking down the street.

[Victim/Survivor]

I was outside my yard and this man come walking down the street and he said, do you know me? I said, no. Am I supposed to? And he just kept on walking. Then all of a sudden, it dawned on me with who it was. It was the guy who had shot me. And I was like, oh my God. So then I called the detectives. No, we just need you to look at These pictures and see if you recognize any of these men.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Enietria Washington studies the photos looking for the man who shot her in the chest, sexually assaulted her and left her for dead.

[Victim/Survivor]

And I was like, no, it's not him. These pictures aren't of him. I would know him if I saw him. I was very scary, okay? I was very scary. And they brought up bad dreams and I was fighting him in my sleep. Years and years went by and the case went cold. I was upset. I was really pissed off. They weren't really looking. They weren't trying to find out who hurt me. You know, this is a black person. We don't care.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

In 2004, Cliff shepherd picked up the case.

[Detective/Investigator]

LAPD started a cold case unit to look at unsolved murders beginning in 1960 to the present.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Cold case detectives are counting on advances in DNA technology to breathe new life into old cases. Christine Pelezek is the author of the Grim the Lost Women of South Central.

[Detective/Investigator]

Detective shepherd, he was one of the new members of the cold case unit. He was a patrol officer back in the 80s and he remembered the 25 caliber killings.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Much of the cold case evidence is now useless. But investigators are able to salvage DNA from three of the 25 caliber killers victims. Mary Lo, Bernita Sparks and Barbara Ware. The same male DNA matches all three.

[Detective/Investigator]

This man was linked to all these cases, but he wasn't in the codis, the state or felon data bank. They had his DNA, but they had no idea who he was.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

It seems as if this new DNA technology will prove to be just another dead end until the CODIS search gives them a new lead. Investigators discover a DNA link between three victims from the 1980s and a murder victim from 2003.

[Detective/Investigator]

Everyone assumed that the guy stopped back in the 80s, but this guy was.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Like still active after 16 years. The 25 caliber killer is back.

[Detective/Investigator]

That victim was Valerie McCorvey.

Valerie was a 35 year old mother of two when she was found dead in an alley in south Los Angeles.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Six days later, a second DNA hit in the CODIS system links Valerie McCorvey's unidentified killer to evidence from a recent unsolved murder. A tipster leads police to the body of an unidentified female. The killer left her in an alley less than two miles from where he left Mary Lo, Bernita Sparks and Enietria Washington. It takes five months, but police finally identify the victim as 15 year old Princess Bartholomew.

[Family Member/Relative]

When I learned that Princess had been killed, if they say band aid, ripping off this was like ripping off my Scalp like my head exploded. There was nothing that would have ever prepared me.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Samara was a teenager when two and a half year old Princess became a part of her family. Princess was given a new lease on life. When Samara's mother, a retired nurse, was chosen as her foster mother.

[Family Member/Relative]

She was rescued from hell, literal hell. Princess was listed as one of LA's worst cases because they had never seen that level of abuse. Her mother was not the primary custodial parent. She was with her father and his girlfriend. And they not only physically abused her, they also were allowing other people to take turns on her for money. Her own biological father was pimping her out.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

At 2, Princess moves into the Harrards loving home in Claremont, an affluent college town 30 miles east of LA.

[Family Member/Relative]

She had scars all over her body, cigarette marks, burn marks from where the ropes had been tied on her hands. So I used to think, mom, let's cover all these things up. You know, it's going to look odd when we're going out in public. And we got stares, we got looks. But my mom was like, we're not going to make her ashamed of those things. Her biggest thing was give her as normal of a childhood as possible. Because I was such an older sibling, I was like another mom to her. In fact, Princess used to love the fact that I would do her hair. I tried to do different things and little extensions and all that.

[Community Member/Witness]

I did a horrible job.

[Family Member/Relative]

But whatever I did to her, she used to say, oh, sister, I love it. It's so pretty. She just was such a sweet heart. Princess was a homebody. She liked to read and cared about little simple things like flowers and running and looking outside of her window and seeing deer. She was a little Princess and she absolutely believed it. Princess was with us until my mom passed away and she was about 12.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Years old by this time. Samara is a single mother and doesn't have the means required by social services to keep her. Child Services takes Princess from the only stable home she'd ever known and sends her to a new foster family.

[Family Member/Relative]

She was uprooted and put in like South Central Los Angeles. So her world was literally shaken to the core.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Three years later, Princess runs away from the foster home, and at 15, she becomes the.25 caliber killer's youngest victim.

[Family Member/Relative]

It put the case in a different spin because now he's not just killing adult young women, he's killing children.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

And unlike the.25 caliber murders from the 80s, both Princess Bartholomew and Valerie McCorvey were strangled to death.

[Detective/Investigator]

He's not using the firearm. So now we have him changing his.

MO I ended up finding out that Valerie and Princess were linked to a series of murders that happened in the 80s. I was absolutely shocked and I practically ran back to my office to write about it. My editor thought, well, maybe the case would get a lot of attention and if we actually gave the guy a nickname. Because of the break in between the murders, we came up with Grim sleeper.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

It's now 2006, four years after the Grim Sleeper resurfaces and Pamela Brooks is working on the street.

[Community Member/Witness]

I've seen this van several times. This one particular time, I guess, was my lucky night. He said, you who? I said, hey, hey. I was trying to get some money. I thought it was gonna be a cool little gig, you know what I'm saying? Always knew it was a killer out here. You know, you can hear some. A man killing prostitutes. It never dawned on me that this is the weirdo, you know what I mean? First, he wanted to go down to his house on 81st. I don't go to people's houses. So I said, no, let's just get a room here. So we end up going to the motel. He shows me the handcuffs, you know, he wants me to put on this thing, this little neck j and then bark and act like a diaper. Who the does that, you know? Only time I've been handcuffed was getting in the police car. Just some tricky here, just being out there in the streets. It just. You never know who you might meet.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

For Pam Danger went with the territory on the streets of South Central LA.

[Community Member/Witness]

I grew up in the 80s, the 80s, like the late 70s, where it was kind of rough. But I come from a good family. My mother was a nurse and a caregiver, so she always gave me little jobs. I went to church. I've been filled with the Holy Ghost. But as time went on, I just kept focusing across the street because I live right here. And all the drama was across the street. Everybody looked like they was having fun. One day I wanted to see, you know, what the noise was. I ended up hanging down there. It was called Sherm Alley. You go through the alley, you can get rocks, cocaine, Sherm. I just want to try it. I just want to see what it does. Once you take that hit and once you put one in, you in trouble, your body's in control. It's no longer. Your mind is working. That's when the shenanigans begin. Because money don't come easy unless you start doing the funny for some strange change. And anyway, make a long story short, I took my crack show on the road. I became a full crackhead at 21 years old. I became full blown lights, camera, action, Walking up and down the street, doing demoralizing things, getting money. I done jumped out of many cars at a high speed.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Yeah, Pam was used to being in high risk situations, but something about this one had her on edge.

[Community Member/Witness]

I said, okay, this not going to work. He said, let me drop you off. I said, no, you ain't got to drop me off from here, mother. I can make it. And I'm lucky that he didn't shoot me, because I didn't do nothing he wanted me to do. Damn. I made it out to rapture. He didn't get me.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

It's now January 1, 2007, one year after Pam's encounter.

[Detective/Investigator]

A homeless guy was climbing in the dumpster to, you know, find cans and found a big garbage bag. And he cut a little hole in the garbage bag and found the body of Janisha Peters.

[Victim/Survivor]

There is no greater pain than the loss of a child. It's just. There's no comparison, and there's nothing else to say. It's like you want to just fall to your knees and just stay there.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

It's not until April that Detective shepherd gets word that DNA found on a zip tie from the garbage bag Janisha Peters was found in is yet another match to the serial killer.

[Detective/Investigator]

So we try to go back and reconstruct everything. What we find out is that she was at a motel on a century east of Western.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Shepherd heads to the motel looking for witnesses or security video that can help identify the killer.

[Detective/Investigator]

We find out that motel no longer exists. It's been torn down. I mean, the frustrations are mounting up.

It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But we're talking about a guy that's been active for almost 20 years and is still out there killing women. They had to do something about it. This guy was not going to stop.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

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[Family Member/Relative]

Christine Teleset got involved and said, you know what? No, there's something going on here, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it.

[Detective/Investigator]

I started making calls, you know, to try to find out more. I was talking to the family members, and in a couple of cases, I ended up telling them that, you know, their daughter was killed by a serial killer.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Irene Ephraim is victim Henrietta Wright's niece.

[Community Member/Witness]

Christine was always calling, checking on us.

[Detective/Investigator]

If we needed anything, if there was.

[Community Member/Witness]

Anything she could do to help the family, telling me what was going on.

[Detective/Investigator]

I thought it was, like, really important that the community knows that there's a serial killer out there. I was in contact with police, and I let them know that we were going to be publishing a story about Janisha Peters and the.25 caliber case, which we now called the Grim Sleeper.

My supervisor told the captain, said, you know, if the press gets hold of this and we don't have the guy, where if this would have been in the white area, we would have flooded the area with cops and detectives and everything else. We have to have a task Force.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

On April 27, 2007, veteran homicide detective Dennis Kilcoyne is given the green light to create a task force.

[Detective/Investigator]

It was a group of seven detectives, and they just dive into the murder books and see what they could come up with.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

The task force pours over the evidence, and a detail from Barbara ware's murder in 1987 stands out.

[Detective/Investigator]

It was about 20 minutes after midnight. 911 police dispatchers receive a phone call from an unidentified male saying, hey, a guy just drove in the alley and dropped off a body. The guy that dropped off was driving a white and blue Dodge van, 1P.Z P7 4 6.

It was a really dark alley, and detectives kind of wondered how the person who made the call would be able to see that license plate number because also part of the license plate was covered up. And so the task force actually came to the conclusion that it was the killer who made that call.

We are actively seeking to make contact with this individual or with anybody that knows him. So pay attention to the voice remembering that this. This goes back 22 years.

[Victim/Survivor]

He threw her out, threw a gas tank on top of her, and. And the only thing you can see out is her feet.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Diana Ware is Barbara Ware's stepmother.

[Family Member/Relative]

I was home watching TV when Barbara's picture came on, and they mentioned something about a serial killer. I didn't know anything about it. We had heard nothing about a serial killer in the area.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Back in 1985, police had formed a task force aimed at solving the south central serial murders. Looking for any advantage, the task force operated in secret.

[Detective/Investigator]

You try not to reveal too much information that would tip the murderer off. You don't want him to change his M.O. you don't want to spook him.

[Family Member/Relative]

So naturally, I called Detective Kilcorn and Detective Shepard, and I said, why wasn't the people in the community aware of this serial killer?

The police, from what I understood, were using the terminology of NHI to basically describe the women involved, which was no human involved just because they were living less than desirable lives. I don't care what mistakes you make in life, it doesn't make your life any less valuable.

[Community Member/Witness]

They thought of us as just crackheads, but we still was humans. We still had a mother. We got a family. We just got caught up in some. And they treated us like Barbara was.

[Family Member/Relative]

The fourth victim that we knew of. Maybe others could have been saved if this information had been put out.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

As the community grapples with the news, the task force focuses on the 911 caller.

[Detective/Investigator]

The operator asked for his name, and the caller just kind of laughs.

What's your name?

[Victim/Survivor]

Oh, I don't stand the number. I know too many people. Okay, then.

[Narrator/Host]

Bye.

[Community Member/Witness]

Bye.

[Detective/Investigator]

We believe that the killer was toying with the police.

The caller gave them information about a van. He gave a license plate number, and it turned out it was owned by the Cosmopolitan Church. Did the killer have an ax to grind with somebody at the church? If they could talk to somebody and if that person could recognize that voice, then they've caught their killer. They played the tape for some of the church members. A couple of people said, oh, wow, that sounds like so and so. The police would then, you know, follow that person, and if they dropped a Cigarette butt. They were taking it to the lab and then ruling them out. Anyone who was even closely affiliated with that church, they investigated and ruled them out with DNA.

We know we're running out of time. Police department is not going to find us forever. We're not any closer to catching this guy than we were from day one. Zone. I'm reading an article in the newspaper that our attorney general is now approving familial DNA testing for certain cases.

They're basically looking for a relative, like a cousin, a brother, an uncle who is related to the killer and who could be in the federal or state data banks.

When I read that, I said, this is what we need.

At that time, there was about a million felons in the data bank. But it came back, there was no hits.

They said, our database is growing day by day and give it about a year and we'll see. So we did. I mean, that's all we could do is sit and wait.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

The victim's loved ones aren't willing to wait.

[Family Member/Relative]

We had flyers made up ourselves and passed them out in the neighborhood so the word would get out that there was a serial killer. And we would have regular meetings with the family members at this church. And we can see maybe our daughters knew each other.

[Detective/Investigator]

They were trying to find out if there was any similarities between the girls. Was there a connection?

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

It's now July 30, 2010. 25 years after the first known victim.

[Detective/Investigator]

Was killed in 2010, there's now 400,000 more felons in the data bank. So why don't we try it again?

My partner gave me a call. It was a Saturday. And I said, hey, you want to come to work? I said, what's going on? He said, we got a potential suspect.

It actually hit on a 28 year old male, Christopher Franklin. Christopher's DNA was uploaded into CODIS in 2009 after he pled guilty to a weapons charge. The problem was he would have been a young boy at the time that the murder started. They looked into his father, a man named Lonnie Franklin Jr. And they saw that Lonnie Franklin Jr. Lived in South Los Angeles.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Mike Oppolt is a former LAPD detective.

[Narrator/Host]

He had worked for the city of Los Angeles for a number of years, and one of his positions happened to be with the department of sanitation. And we knew several victims were found in or near trash dumpsters and things of that nature.

[Detective/Investigator]

He lived on 81st and Western, and that was the epicenter of where all the murders took place.

We have surveillance Teams on Lonnie Franklin watching his house, watching for him, tailing him 24 hours a day to obtain a DNA sample. Finally, after about the third day, he went to a pizza place.

The surveillance team decided that one of them would pretend that he was a busboy.

The cop collects the uneaten items and takes it back to the back where it's packaged up and transported directly to our laboratory. It was going to take two to three days to get the analysis done. On day three, we get the call, this is him. It's a match. The DNA from all the victims match him.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Police arrest Franklin, and while he's behind bars, they search his house.

[Narrator/Host]

We took eight handguns, shotgun, a rifle out of the location we knew we were looking for. In particular a.25 caliber weapon. Well, we happened to find, I believe three of them were extracting pegboard walls and some drywall. No stone goes unturned. Every nook and cranny is going to get examined. We found a myriad of female undergarments that were just squirreled away.

[Detective/Investigator]

They found hundreds of different stolen car parts in the back of his house.

[Narrator/Host]

It essentially looked like he was running a chop shop out of his backyard with stolen vehicles and parts and things like that.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

The discovery of stolen car parts solves another mystery. Why investigators could never find that distinct orange Pinto Enietria Washington had described in 1988.

[Detective/Investigator]

He dealt with a lot of cars and he didn't register them.

Friends of his had mentioned that he used to drive around in a orange colored pinto, and then all of a sudden it just disappeared.

When we went into his garage, a team had found a collection of photographs that was hidden behind a wall. In that group of photographs was Anitra Washington.

[Narrator/Host]

We continued digging and uncovering hundreds of photographs. And many of them depicted women in different stages of undress, different stages of consciousness. Frankly, some appeared as though they might have been dead. Were we looking at actual victims?

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Police Captain Kevin McClure speaks to reporters updating the public about the arrest.

[Detective/Investigator]

At about 9:20, we made an arrest here in the 1700 block of 81st Street.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Enietria told police that her attacker made a stop at a house in South Central. That house looks a lot like Franklin's home, which is only three doors away. Police had staked out the neighborhood for a month, but never questioned Franklin.

[Victim/Survivor]

I led you to his home. I'm lost. I am so lost.

[Detective/Investigator]

The suspect is Lonnie David Franklin. He's 57 years of age.

[Community Member/Witness]

I was watching the news and I was like, damn. I was with the Grim Sleeper, I knew it was something strange about that mother.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Details about Franklin emerge, and people in the community are shocked that the killer is one of their own.

[Victim/Survivor]

A lot of people that I knew knew him.

[Community Member/Witness]

His wife. His wife was a church woman.

[Detective/Investigator]

Lonnie had been married for over 30 years. He was a grandfather and he had a couple of grandchildren. He was the kind of guy that, you know, helped everybody out in the neighborhood.

[Community Member/Witness]

If you went and told that mother, need a refrigerator, you got it. If you went and told, Lonnie, I need to get a tv, he made it happen. People love him. He mastered that image real good.

[Victim/Survivor]

And you fooled the community. You black man.

[Community Member/Witness]

Why are you killing black women?

[Victim/Survivor]

What is wrong with you?

[Community Member/Witness]

I don't understand it.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

It's taken more than 20 years, but investigators finally sit down with the man they believe murdered at least 10 African American women.

[Detective/Investigator]

You tell me what the news calls you. I know damn well you know the Reaper, Grand Reaper, something. The Grim Sleeper.

[Victim/Survivor]

Oh, okay.

[Detective/Investigator]

I know it's something like that.

[Victim/Survivor]

Yeah, I saw it. I saw it on tv.

[Community Member/Witness]

I look at tv.

[Victim/Survivor]

Oh, of course you do. I got TV in every room. Well, there you go.

[Detective/Investigator]

You go to church. Matter of fact, that's supposed to be a church tonight. And you remember a cosmopolitan church. Remember that? I still can't tell you today why he chose that church. That's not familiar to you with a cosmopolitan church?

[Community Member/Witness]

No, it's not.

[Detective/Investigator]

His wife and other family members had nothing to do with. With that church or those people that went to that church. Do you remember there?

[Victim/Survivor]

No, I wouldn't.

[Narrator/Host]

I remember photograph after photograph being put in front of him and just him, you know, seemingly. I have no idea what you're talking about.

[Detective/Investigator]

That's Valerie McQuarrie. This young lady here. Name is Barbara Ware. This young lady, her name is Henrietta Wright. Her name was Bernita Sparks. Mary Lowe. Lucretia Jefferson. Deborah Jackson. Do you recognize her, Princess? No, Never seen. Never seen her before. You know these girls, they can't talk, but we got one that can.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Cold Case Files is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart Choice. Progressive loves to help people make smart choices. That's why they offer a tool called Auto Quote Explorer that allows you to compare your Progressive car Insurance quote with rates from other companies. So you save time on the research and can enjoy savings when you choose the best rate for you. Give it a try after this [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states or situations. Prices Vary based on how you buy. On February 27, 2015, trial against Lonnie Franklin begins.

[Family Member/Relative]

Every time court was in session, we knew we would see each other there, and I really looked forward to talking with the other family members. It kind of drew us close together that we weren't alone. We all shared the same grief.

[Victim/Survivor]

I had a revenge tactic in my head when I was in the courtroom. He's done all these things to these women, and he gets to sit there all dressed up and sit there. He's still able to walk around and breathe. They are dead. So that should be the same Enietria.

[Detective/Investigator]

Washington testified during the trial. And that was really, really moving and unbelievable. Just to see her, like, face this guy and go after him.

[Victim/Survivor]

This is me, him. One on one. I'm accusing you, and you're accused. I know. You actually shot me. I know it was you. I saw you. You saw me.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

On May 5, 2016, a jury finds Lonnie Franklin guilty of 10 counts of murder and the attempted murder of Enietria Washington.

[Victim/Survivor]

In the end, he was caught. That's the best part. But never once did he utter why he did it.

[Community Member/Witness]

You took away my best friend.

[Victim/Survivor]

Barbara was a mother, a daughter, a.

[Family Member/Relative]

Sister, and a niece.

[Community Member/Witness]

You took my only sibling from me.

[Family Member/Relative]

Princess was 15, and we're just a year short of her whole lifespan to.

[Detective/Investigator]

Get to this point.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

On August 10, 2016, Judge Kathleen Kennedy addresses Franklin at his sentencing hearing.

[Detective/Investigator]

I can't think of anyone that I've encountered in all my many years in the criminal justice system that has committed the kind of monstrous and the number of monstrous crimes that you have. It is the judgment and sentence of this court that you shall suffer the death penalty.

[Family Member/Relative]

In the end, this man got what he deserved.

[Narrator/Host]

To hear those words read through the courtroom and the gallery is extremely emotional. That monster. And deprive those families of all their loved ones.

[Family Member/Relative]

There's no closure. I will never get past what he did. I felt just relief that no one else would have to go through this. Justice was served today, and I'm so eternally grateful.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

Six years after Franklin was sent to death row, his victims, Samara Harad, Irene, Ephraim Enietria Washington and Diane Ware. Reconnect.

[Family Member/Relative]

You guys look good.

[Victim/Survivor]

You do too.

[Family Member/Relative]

You look like I just saw you guys recently. It was just like yesterday.

[Community Member/Witness]

Yeah.

[Victim/Survivor]

Please don't say that.

[Family Member/Relative]

Look at how much we've lived through. You have lost someone, right? You almost lost your life. You've lost someone. I lost someone.

[Victim/Survivor]

The families out there, we bonded Everybody's family.

[Family Member/Relative]

We would have regular meetings with the family members amongst ourselves to discuss what should be done. We were on the detectives, you know, are you going to help us? We'll do it on our own.

[Detective/Investigator]

Mm.

[Family Member/Relative]

Unfortunately, people of color have had so many issues being represented. This would not have happened and gone this long had it been others.

Exactly.

It's almost like what not to do as a serial killer. If there was a book. Lonnie absolutely did everything wrong, but the only thing he had going for is no one was caring.

[Victim/Survivor]

You know what? We're not of any concern because we weren't labeled human.

[Family Member/Relative]

Correct.

Because of their lack of empathy, sympathy, and concern. I'm not gonna become like them. I'm gonna be the example that they should be, that everyone has accountability for their fellow man.

[Community Member/Witness]

And, you know, forgiveness is for you. It's not for him.

[Family Member/Relative]

Yes.

[Community Member/Witness]

You know what I mean?

[Family Member/Relative]

Amen.

Forgiveness is so true.

I won't forget. But I do forgive you because I know that you'll have a higher answering.

What did you think? What was your feelings on it? When it finally hit like that, was it like, he's dead, he's gone.

[Narrator/Documentary Host]

In March of 2020, Lonnie Franklin dies in a death row cell.

[Community Member/Witness]

I was just glad he was dead. It's hurt not only our family members, but our people, our community. He preyed on, you know, the issues that were going on in the community.

[Family Member/Relative]

The one solace I have is that you're here. You know, you are a living testimony to just being that courage.

Oh, yeah.

[Victim/Survivor]

I get up, and the first thing I say is, thank you, Father God. I am resilient. I'm resilient enough to know that just because you knocked me down don't mean I can't get back up. That's for sure. Stronger?

[Community Member/Witness]

Yes.

[Family Member/Relative]

Better.

[Victim/Survivor]

Oh, Lord, I thank you.

[Family Member/Relative]

Amen. Amen.

[Detective/Investigator]

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[Community Member/Witness]

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[Narrator/Documentary Host]

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[Narrator/Host]

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[Detective/Investigator]

This is the mindset. Mindset. With movies like Joe dirt, pixels and 50 first dates.

[Victim/Survivor]

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[Detective/Investigator]

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[Narrator/Documentary Host]

You're welcome.