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- [00:07]
Vanessa Richardson
This is Crime House. During the week of July 7, 1978, the public learned that a mysterious attacker had sexually assaulted a woman in Davis, California. He became known as the Golden State Killer, and when he was finally identified, he pleaded guilty to murdering three 13 people across the state. 32 years after that attack in Davis in 2010, another string of unsolved murders was solved when the Grim Sleeper serial killer was arrested after terrorizing Los Angeles for decades. Making this week's theme Cold Case Breakthroughs. Welcome to Crime House the Show. I'm Vanessa Richardson. Every Monday, we'll be revisiting notorious crimes from this week in history. From serial killers to mysterious disappearances or murders, every episode will explore stories that share a common theme. Each week we'll cover two stories, one further in the past and one more rooted in the present. Here at Crime House. We know none of this would be possible without you, our community. Please support us by rating, reviewing and following Crime House the Show wherever you get your podcasts and for ad free and early access to Crime House the Show plus exciting bonus content, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. Before we get into the story, you should know it contains descriptions of graphic violence and sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised. This week's theme is cold cases. We'll start today's episode during the week of July 7, 1978, when newspapers reported that an unknown assailant had attacked a mother of two in Davis, California. It would take many more years, but eventually the culprit would be revealed as a man named Joseph d', Angelo, better known as the Golden State Killer. Then we'll jump ahead to 2010 when Lonnie Franklin Jr. Aka the Grim Sleeper, was arrested in Los Angeles. After decades of evading authorities, he was charged with killing at least 10 people. While these two serial killers were active at different times and targeted different types of victims, they both went unidentified for decades. It took law enforcement years to track them down, but when they eventually did, they were able to solve dozens of cold cases and bring closure to countless family members.
- [03:07]
Ryan Reynolds
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- [03:41]
Vanessa Richardson
Hey everyone, Vanessa Richardson here. I'm narrating the first audiobook from Crime House Studios called Murder in the Media. Told through the lens of five heart pounding murder cases, this thrilling audiobook traces the evolving and sometimes insidious role the media has had in shaping true crime storytelling. Murder in the Media is a Crime House Original audiobook. Find it now on Spotify. On July 7, 1978, the Sacramento Bee reported on a terrifying attack in nearby Davis, California. In the early hours of the day before, a 33 year old mother was asleep in her bed when a man broke into her room and sexually assaulted her. Her two young son were at home as well. The man was carrying a gun and a knife and threatened to kill her if she didn't comply. Luckily, the woman and her children survived, but the attack only stoked more fear in the Sacramento Valley community. It was the second violent assault in the span of just one month, and yet the authorities weren't any closer to catching the criminal known as the East Area Rapist. It would take another four decades until he was finally identified and apprehended, but by then people were calling him a different name, the Golden State Killer. Long before he was known by that terrifying moniker, he was just Joseph D', Angelo, the second of four children born in New York on November 8, 1945. His family eventually settled in the town of Rancho Cordova, just outside Sacramento, California, California. Growing up, things were tense at the d' Angelo home. Joseph's parents couldn't see eye to eye and were constantly getting in screaming matches in front of their children. Eventually it became too much to bear and his parents divorced. His dad was in the military and soon abandoned the family for a posting in Korea, leaving Joseph's mother with full custody. But being a single mother wasn't easy. While she was at work, Joseph was tasked with taking care of his siblings. He didn't appreciate being the babysitter, and before long Joseph and his mom were getting into their own screaming matches. By the time Joseph was 19 in 1964, he was raring to get as far from home as possible. That year he enlisted in the Navy. Joseph's dream was to do something exciting like become a pilot. He instead he was assigned to mechanic duty. After four years, 23 year old Joseph was honorably discharged and he returned back home to Rancho Cordova. Around that time he enrolled in nearby Sierra College where he studied criminal justice. He hoped the degree Would help him land a job with the California Highway Patrol one day. However, Joseph wasn't a natural student and struggled with his classes. He but about a year into his studies, he found a lifeline in the form of a fellow classmate, 18 year old Bonnie Colwell. Joseph was immediately drawn to Bonnie and she seemed to feel the same way. Before long, she became much more than his tutor and the two were dating. But the relationship was anything but smooth sailing. And it was all Joseph's doing. He loved scaring Bonnie, making risky maneuvers while they rode on his motorcycle. He also insisted they have sex for hours even when Bonnie didn't want to. Despite all this, Joseph proposed to Bonnie in May 1970. He was 24 and she was 18. But he didn't politely ask for her hand in marriage. He just gave her a ring and expected her to go along with it. When Bonnie agreed to the engagement. But the cracks were starting to form. A year after giving her the ring, Joseph asked Bonnie to help him cheat on a test. Bonnie wasn't the kind of person to do something like that. She said no and broke up with him. Joseph wasn't willing to let her get away so easily though. A few nights later he showed up at her house. He tried to kidnap her at gunpoint and for force her down the aisle with him. Thankfully, Bonnie's dad was home and managed to diffuse the situation. After that, Joseph left Bonnie alone. But he would never forget the woman who rejected him. A year later. In 1972, 26 year old Joseph had transferred schools and graduated from Sacramento State with a degree in criminal justice. Not long after, he got an internship with the Roseville Police Department. Just 15 miles north of Rancho Cordova. Joseph's bosses had no idea their new intern was actually a criminal. Around this Same time in 1973, Joseph had started spying on women in the area. He would creep up to their windows and watch them sleep. Sometimes he even broke in and rifled through their possessions. He would steal things too. Mostly trinkets. Stuff like coins, keepsakes and rings. Which was interesting given how his engagement to Bonney had ended. It seemed like Joseph just couldn't contain himself. In the first half of 1973, he targeted over 50 homes. Eventually, the Rancho Cordova community realized they had a prowler in their midst. The mystery stalker was given the name the Cordova Cat Burglar. While Joseph continued his nighttime break ins, his life progressed in other ways as well. Around this same period, Joseph began dating 20 year old Sharon Marie Huddle. It seemed he was fully over Bonnie or just Eager to start a family, he quickly proposed to Sharon and they married in November of 1973. Not long after they moved down to California's Central Valley and near the city of Visalia. Joseph had gotten a job with the Exeter police force and it wasn't long until Visalia experienced its own string of break ins. In May, Joseph began burglarizing homes in the area, earning him the new name the Visalia Ransacker. Like in Rancho Cordova, Joseph seemed to have an insatiable appetite for theft. Over the span of three years, he hid over 100 houses over. But by 1975, the 30 year old was eager for more. On the night of September 11, 1975, a Visalia resident named Claude Snelling heard whimpering coming from his 16 year old daughter's room. Claude went to investigate and found a strange man attempting to drag his daughter outside. It was the Ransacker. Claude chased after them. Desperate to save his child, Joseph fired a gun at Claude, shooting him in the arm and chest. In the ensuing chaos, the would be kidnapper fled. Claude's daughter was safe. But Claude wasn't so lucky. Tragically, he later died from his injuries. Although it seemed unintentional, Joseph had claimed his father first life, but it would be far from his last.
- [11:44]
Ryan Reynolds
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- [11:46]
Vanessa Richardson
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- [11:51]
Ryan Reynolds
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- [12:12]
Christine Pelesek
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- [12:34]
Vanessa Richardson
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Ryan Reynolds
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- [12:44]
Vanessa Richardson
After casing and breaking into hundreds of homes in the Rancho Cordova and Visalia areas of California, 30 year old Joseph D' Angelo tried to kidnap a teenage girl in September 1975. She managed to get away unscathed, but her father, Claude Snelling died trying to save her. And after the failed kidnapping, Joseph only became more violent. A month later in October Joseph broke into a house back in his hometown of Rancho Cordova. A mother and her two daughters were inside. One was 18 years old and the other was seven. Wearing a mask and armed with a knife, Joseph pulled the woman and older daughter into a room, tied them up and repeatedly raped them. He also separately assaulted the younger daughter before escaping into the night. After this horrific incident, Joseph returned to Visalia, where the local police had started doing special patrols, hoping to catch the ransacker in the actual. A few months later, a detective spotted a suspect who matched Joseph's description. They got into a shootout and Joseph managed to get away. But it seemed like he was spooked because in early 1976, 30 year old Joseph moved his family back to the Sacramento area. Once again, he got a job in law enforcement, this time with the Auburn pd. A few months later, the east side of Sacramento where Joseph had grown up was terrorized by a new another set of violent break ins. The first took place on June 18, 1976, and they continued for almost three years. Initially, Joseph specifically targeted women who were home alone or with their children. After watching them for some time, Joseph would attack when they were vulnerable. Usually his crimes involved sexual assault, which earned him yet another new name, the east area rapist, or EAR. And eventually, Joseph started to get more confident. By May 1977, he'd been active for four years and had gotten away every time. So that month, he decided to up the ante and begin attacking couples. On the evening of February 2, 1978, a young couple in their early twenties named Brian and Katie Maggiore were out walking their dog in Rancho Cordova. Suddenly, they came across a man with a gun. Joseph. It seemed like he was running from something because as soon as he spotted the couple, Joseph fired at Brian, sending him to the ground. Katie tried to get away, but he caught up and shot her in the head. Sadly, both Katie and Brian passed away from their injuries. But Joseph wasn't in the clear because someone had seen him. In the wake of the double murder, a witness spoke with authorities. They'd gotten a good look at the killer and provided police with a detailed description. A few days after that, law enforcement released several sketches of the suspect. One of them looked a lot like Joseph. After that uncomfortably accurate sketch, it seemed like the EAR was off his game. Later that year, nearly a dozen victims said their attacker, who they presumed to be the Ear, had cried like a child in one home invasion in Davis, California. He even broke down and sobbed into his victim's pillow. Clearly, Joseph was under some sort of intense mental and emotional strain. So it's not exactly surprising that he got sloppy. In July 1979, the 33 year old was caught shoplifting from a hardware store. The Auburn PD where Joseph still worked found out and put him on probation. He was officially fired shortly after. With his tail between his legs, Joseph picked up and moved his family to a suburb called citrus heights, just 30 minutes out of Sacramento. He got a job as a truck mechanic and tried to rebuild his career. Meanwhile, he continued his secret life of crime. Except now he moved away from his home turf and set his sights on the town of Goleta, about 400 miles south of Sacramento. On October 1, 1979, 33 year old Joseph broke into the home of a sleeping couple. As he assaulted the female victim, he mumbled to himself, I'll kill him. Over and over. It seemed like he was working himself up to claim even more lives. But that night, he didn't succeed. While Joseph was distracted, the man and the woman both managed to run out of the house. A neighbor heard the couple screaming and came over to investigate. Joseph fled before they could spot him. It was another close call, which was surprising considering Joseph had been honing his MO for several six years by then. Generally speaking, serial criminals get better at evading capture over time. But the opposite seemed to be happening with Joseph. And on December 30, another one of his attacks nearly went awry. That morning, a Goleta couple was found dead in their home. But based on the man's wounds, it seemed like he'd broken free of his bindings and tried to fight back. But for the moment, Joseph wasn't in any danger of being discovered. By this point, the authorities hadn't realized the crimes committed across California were related. The police thought they were looking for two separate killers. The east area rapist to the north and the original night stalker as he was being called to the south. Which only gave Joseph more room to maneuver. Between March 1980 and February 1981, Joseph killed five more victims in southern California. And there was a striking new method to his madness. In these attacks, he switched from guns to blunt objects and he used a staggering level of force. Joseph reached the height of his brutality in July 1981 when he targeted Sherry Domingo and Gregory Sanchez. He shot Gregory in the face, then hit him over the head 24 times with a heavy object. After sexually assaulting Sherry, he killed her with a single crushing blow to the head. Even once she was dead, Joseph continued to beat her. After that, the original night stalker seemed to to disappear altogether. For Most of his criminal career, there had been an attack every four to five months. But this time, five whole years went by before he struck again. It's not clear why Joseph hit pause on his murder spree. But by May 1986, the 40 year old killer was ready for more violence. That month, he attacked 18 year old Janelle Cruz while she was home alone in Irvine. Joseph broke in, sexually assaulted and beat Janelle to death. This was Joseph's last known crime. He'd committed hundreds of burglaries, dozens of rapes, and at least 13 murders. And although the attack seemed to come to an end, there were still many loved ones and survivors who were waiting for answers. Detectives across California continued to investigate, but it was an uphill battle. Not only do they believe the crimes were the work of several different men, but the various police departments also worked independently from one another. Because of that, information was sparse and incomplete. And with no new murders to investigate and no new evidence to examine, the investigation eventually went cold for an entire decade. But by 1996, DNA testing had advanced significantly. Now detectives could test and match samples. Late that year, an Orange county police officer decided to check on some evidence from the original night stalkers crime scenes from 1980 and 1981, then compared them with DNA from Janelle Cruz's 1986 sexual assault and murder. After this, the sample was tested with two murders committed in Ventura in 1980, about 35 miles down the coast from Goleta. Sure enough, the tests confirmed the murders had been the work of one person. A year later, and 400 miles away, another investigator named Paul Holmes independently began using DNA to make progress on some unsolved cases up in Northern California's Contra Costa county. In July of that year, Paul came across old case files on the east area rapist. He used the new DNA technology at his disposal to run samples from three different cases in his jurisdiction. It turned out the samples all came from the same person. With the test results in hand, Paul got in touch with Mary Hong, a lab technician for the Orange county sheriff's department. She was the one who'd run the tests on the original night stalker samples the year before. As Paul and Mary compared notes on their respective murder cases, they realized there were a lot of similarities. Both sets of crimes featured prowling and burglaries beforehand. Victims who were tied up, and in the case of the female victims, sexual assault. Paul and Mary wanted to compare the DNA samples taken from the crime scenes in Orange county and Contra Costa to see if there was a match. But it was Easier said than done. At the time, they were using different DNA testing methods. This was back in the late 90s, and the Contra Costa DNA lab was still still getting set up. So the two investigators only had one gene marker in common that they could compare their results for. That marker were a match. But that wasn't enough to definitively say the murders had been committed by the same person. Before they could know for sure, they'd need to see matches across several more genes. So they decided to check back in once the Contra Costa lab was fully up and running. It took another five years, but in 2001, Mary and Paul were finally able to comprehensively test their DNA evidence against each other. Once they did, they found matches across multiple gene markers. Finally, they were able to conclude that all these attacks had been committed by the same man. The discovery was front page news and marked a huge break in the case. For the first time, investigators across California were united. But with 10,000 pages of case files to dig through, there was still more work to do. Another 10 years went by until there was more progress. In April 2011, crime writer Michelle McNamara published a blog post about the east area rapist slash original night Stalker. That year, DNA evidence connected the same killer to slayings in Goleta, California. Shortly after, Michelle coined a new moniker for the suspect, one that would capture the full scope of his crimes. She called him the Golden State Killer. Seven years later, in 2018, investigator Paul Holes had an idea. He worked with a genetic genealogist named Barbara Ray Venter to develop new DNA profiles that could be uploaded to genealogy websites. They hoped to get a match for the killer or a close relative. It worked. Sort of. They got a match for a very distant relative. But it was enough for Barbara to construct a family tree. After that, they narrowed their search based on characteristics like age, location and physical traits. Eventually, they were able to hone in on one man. 72 year old Joseph DeAngelo. But while detectives were almost certain that Joseph was the killer, they still needed a DNA sample from him to know for sure. So they started surveilling Joseph, waiting for the right moment to strike. A few weeks later, they got a hit. While Joseph went inside a shop, detectives lifted his prints from the handle of his car door. They also managed to snag a tissue from the garbage can outside his house. They rushed the samples to the lab, where forensic investigators checked them against other samples they'd collected over the years. It all matched. Joseph DeAngelo was the Golden State Killer. Now it was time to make him pay. On April 24, 2018, 72 year old Joseph was arrested at his home in Citrus Heights. By August, he was charged with 13 murders. Then came the monumental task of bringing him to justice for his many crimes. Prosecutors decided to combine all the cases into one trial. But with all the evidence against him, Joseph made a plea deal. On June 29, 2020, the 74 year old pleaded guilty to 13 counts of first degree murder. In return, prosecutors took the death penalty off the table. A couple months later, Joseph was sentenced to 2026 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Today, Joseph is 79 years old and serving out his sentence in a California prison. After almost 50 years at large, the Golden State Killer was captured and numerous cold cases were finally solved. If there's any solace to be taken, it's that Joseph d' Angelo will never hurt anyone again. And neither will so many other dangerous criminals. Since Joseph's arrest in 2018, over 150 other violent offenders have been identified using genealogical strategies. And thanks to people like Paul Holz and Barbara Ray Venters, one of history's most dangerous killers was taken off the streets after nearly five decades. His surviving victims can breathe easier knowing their tormentor has been brought to justice. Up next, another serial killer in California whose arrest brought long awaited closure to dozens of cold cases.
- [28:58]
Christine Pelesek
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- [29:25]
Vanessa Richardson
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- [29:32]
Ryan Reynolds
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- [29:42]
Vanessa Richardson
During the week of July 7, 1978, Joseph D' Angelo was in the early days of his decades long crime spree. 32 years later in 2010, another notorious California killer was finally brought to justice for his crimes. On July 7, 2010, LAPD officers surrounded a modest home in South Los Angeles. Moments later, they emerged with 57 year old Lonnie Franklin Jr. In handcuffs. Neighbors gathered on the street to watch. They didn't know it yet, but the friendly neighborhood mechanic was one of the most dangerous men in Los Angeles. And he was being charged with murdering at least 10 people. Although Lonnie's reign of terror officially came to an end, that day. The serial killer known as as the Grim Sleeper got his start many years earlier. And there were signs of the violence to come very early on. Lonnie Franklin Jr. Was born in Los Angeles on August 30, 1952 and grew up in the South Central neighborhood. We don't know much about his childhood, but as soon as he was old enough, lonnie joined the U.S. army. He was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany. That's where lonnie committed his first known violent crime. According to court documents, 21 year old Lonnie and two other servicemen were driving in the area in April 1974 when they passed a 17 year old girl. They kidnapped her at knifepoint and took her out to a field. There they repeatedly sexually assaulted her and even took photos of during the attack. After her ordeal, the young girl pretended to be interested in seeing Lonnie again. She met up with him for a date and when he arrived, police rushed in and arrested him. For the most part, Germany allowed the US Military to discipline its soldiers. But in this case, the US Let Germany take the lead. Lonnie and the other men were tried at a local court where Lonnie was convicted of rape. He was sentenced to three years and four months in prison, but didn't serve the entire term. In May 1976, 23 year old Lonnie was sent back to the United States and discharged from the Army. After that, it seemed like Lonnie tried to put his past behind him and move on. He found work as a garage attendant for the LAPD and as a city garbage collector, among other jobs. The details of his personal life are hazy, but we know he got married at some point and had two children. But as much as it seemed like he was a changed man, his violent impulses were still there brewing under the surface. And eight years after returning to LA, he couldn't contain them any longer. On January 15, 1984, 32 year old Lonnie shot and killed 21 year old Sharon Dismuk in South Central Los Angeles. It's not clear how or when Lonnie met Sharon, but her body was later found in an abandoned gas station on the floor of the men's bathroom. A year and a half after that, in August 1985, Lonnie struck again. This time his victim was 29 year old Deborah Jackson. Her body, like Sharon's, had been carelessly disposed of. She was found in an alley under an old carpet. In both cases, the crimes weren't traced back to Lonnie. During this period, Los Angeles had A lot of problems. The crack cocaine epidemic was raging, and the city was plagued by violent crime and vicious killings. This was especially true for the South Central neighborhood where Lonnie operated. In some ways, it was the perfect hunting ground for a serial killer. There were plenty of struggling people on the margins, sex workers and those with substance abuse issues. The kinds of victims that could easily slip between the cracks and go unnoticed. Lonnie knew this, and he capitalized on it. But even though Lonnie had chosen his victims carefully, he did make some miscalculations. By the mid-1980s, the LAPD was aware there was a serial killer in the area. At the time, they believed all of the murders were the work of a killer called the south side Slayer. Named for the part of LA in which they were operating. The LAPD thought the Slayer was responsible for stabbing and strangling at least 13 women between 1983 and late 1985. Despite the staggering number of victims, the LAPD took until September 1985 to hold a press conference about the investigation. That's when they finally told the South Central community there was a murder murderer in the area. The department faced a lot of backlash for waiting so long to alert residents, especially because there seemed to be a double standard when it came to the cases they were actively investigating at the time. There was another serial killer prowling Los Angeles and San Francisco. He was known as the Night Stalker and would later be identified as a man named Richard Robert Ramirez. The Night Stalker mostly targeted middle and upper class areas, while the Southside Slayer preyed on lower income individuals. And according to South Central residents, it looked like the authorities were just sitting on information about the Slayer. Meanwhile, they took a much more active approach when it came to the Night Stalker. Eventually, community activists had had enough. They started holding weekly protests outside LAPD headquarters. They hoped to put enough pressure on the department to create a special task force dedicated to finding the slayer. Finally, in January 1986, over two years after the killings began, the LAPD and the Sheriff's Department launched a joint investigation called the Southside Slayer Task Force. But even with the authorities seriously investigating, the bodies continued to pile up. By 1986, at least 15 murders had been linked to the case. Still, as time went by, a subgroup of murders began to stand out. They were all united by similar victims and a common MO all but one of the killer's victims were black women, and many were sex workers with substance abuse issues. They were all either strangled, shot at close range, or both. Not only that, but their bodies were found outdoors Usually in alleys or dumpsters and always in or around downtown Los Angeles. So authorities decided to re examine the August 1985 murder of Deborah Jackson, which they believed was the case killer's first victim. They also looked at Another murder, the 1986 killing of Henrietta Wright. Soon they realized both women were shot using the same.25 caliber pistol. By 1988, six more slayings that matched the pattern were added to this subgroup. They were the killings of Barbara Ware, Bernita Spark, Mary Lowe, Lucretia Jefferson, Inez Warren and Alicia Monique Alexander. These cases were distinct enough for the police to realize they were the work of another killer. One who wasn't the Night Stalker or the south side Slayer. And later that year, the authorities got a major break in the case. On November 19, 1988, 30 year old Anitra Washington was walking home through the Gramercy park neighborhood in downtown la. At some point, a man driving an orange Ford Pinto pulled up next to her and politely offered her a ride. Anitra would later describe him as a black man in his early 30s. With his dark polo shirt tucked into khaki pants. He looked neat and tidy, even kind of geeky. Despite his non threatening appearance, Enietra turned down his offer. That's when his demeanor changed and he became very angry. He berated Anitra and refused to take no for an answer. Eventually she relented. But the man didn't take her home. Instead, he drove to a side street parking between an apartment building and an auto shop. The next thing Anitra knew, she'd been shot in the chest. As she bled out, she went in and out of consciousness. She came to again long enough to realize that she was being sexually assaulted. Then she blacked out again. She woke up once more to the flash of a Polaroid camera. Her attacker was taking pictures. Afterwards, he started the car, pushed Anitra out the door and drove away. Somehow Anitra managed to stumble to a friend's house who called an ambulance. Once Anitra was strong enough, she spoke to police officers. She described the man who attacked her and later took the officers to the alley where the shooting happened. The authorities finally had a firsthand account from a survivor. It seemed like they might finally catch the killer in their midst.
- [40:05]
Ryan Reynolds
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- [41:04]
Vanessa Richardson
Since the mid-1980s, authorities in Los Angeles had been struggling to catch a serial killer prowling the South Central neighborhood. At first they thought the dozens of victims had been murdered by a killer known as the Southside slayer. But in 1987, they seemed to realize the slayer wasn't one person. It was multiple different killers. And that year, a special task force had honed in on a group of seven murders which had been linked to the same.25 caliber handgun. The authorities believed they had all been killed by the same person. A year later, there was another attack that matched the killer's movie. Miraculously, the victim, 30 year old Anitra Washington, survived to tell the tale. Sadly, it still wasn't enough to catch him. But it did seem like the killer got spooked by all the additional investigating. Because after his failed attempt to kill Anitra, the murders suddenly stopped. The killer went quiet, earning him the nickname the Grim Slight. At the same time, the many unsolved murders attributed to him went cold. It would be another 14 years before he awakened from his slumber to deal out more destruction and depravity. In 2002, a 15 year old girl named Princess Bertha Mew was found strangled to death in Inglewood. Through DNA matching, her death was connected to the same mystery killer from the late 80s, the Grim Sleeper had struck again. Princess's death reignited the investigation. And just in the nick of time. In 2001, the LAPD had created a dedicated cold case unit. But new cases were still piling up. In 2003, the body of 35 year old mother of two Valerie McCorvey was found in an alley in South LA. After testing DNA samples from the scene. Her slaying was connected to the Grim Sleepers other killings. Year after year, police collected more and more evidence. Still they had no suspects. Unbeknownst to them, they were about to get A chance to catch the killer. In 2003, 51 year old Lonnie Franklin Jr. Was convicted of knowingly purchasing a stolen car and got a felony misdemeanor As a result, he was sentenced to three years of probation. Then in 2004, California passed Proposition 69, which said that DNA should be collected from all people convicted of felonies. Under the law, Lonnie's DNA should have been entered into the state database. But at that point, the probation department didn't have the resources to collect every sample they were supposed to. By the time the system was fully up and running, Lonnie was free to go about his life. And it wasn't long until he struck again. In January 2007, about a year after Lonnie finished his probation. The law the lifeless body of 25 year old Janisha Peters was discovered in a dumpster. It seems similar to the Grim Sleepers MO A human being treated like literal trash. Soon, DNA matching confirmed that Janecia was in fact one of his victims. That brought the total up to at least 11 unsolved murders. With the body count rising, authorities kicked their investigation into high gear once again. In May 2007, on the heels of Janesha Peters murder, the LAPD launched a task force. A group of eight detectives focused exclusively on the Grim Sleeper killings, tracking down lead after lead. However, they didn't publicize their work. It seemed they didn't want to draw too much attention to the investigation in case the killer thought they were closing in and went to sleep again. But in August 2008, someone learned about the undercover operation. That month, investigative journalist Christine Pelesek released an article about the task force. In it, she criticized the LAPD for not telling the public there was still an active serial killer on the loose. Her article seemed to have the desired effect the very next month. In September 2008, the authorities in LA changed their tune. Police started to open up to the public, even asking for assistance with their investigation. And they offered a very large reward for any leads that helped them catch the killer. A whopping $500,000. At the same time, investigators pursued other methods of investigation. In particular, they focused on DNA evidence. In early 2010, LAPD detectives took their samples from the Grim Sleeper cases into the California DOJ database. At first, they didn't come up with a match. So they decided to try something new. They searched the database for profiles that were similar to their Grim Sleeper sample. And it worked. They came up with a partial familial match for someone named Christopher Franklin. That meant that Christopher wasn't their guy, but he was closely related to their guy. Signs pointed to his father, Lonnie Franklin Jr. As being the actual suspect. Lonnie lived in the South Central neighborhood of Los Angeles, which is where the murders had taken place. Not only that, but Lonnie worked as a city sanitation work and many of the victims bodies had been found in dumpsters. But to prove that Lonnie was the grim sleeper, detectives needed his DNA. So the LAPD put him under surveillance. They watched his every move until finally they saw their opening. In early July of 2010, Lonnie went to a pizza place, apparently for a birthday party. An undercover detective followed him inside and pretended to be a busboy. As the detective cleaned the table, he grabbed a piece of crust that Lonnie had bitten into. He also pocketed napkins, a fork and a glass that Franklin had used. Investigators rushed the samples to the lab and checked them against the mountains of evidence they already had. Two days later, on July 7th, they got the results. 57 year old Lonnie Franklin Jr. Was the Grim Sleeper. Two hours later, the LAPD arrested Lonnie at his South Los Angeles home. Lonnie didn't try to fight them on it. While he was being held without bail, detectives searched his house. They found a trove of evidence including necklaces, watches and earrings that Lonnie had taken from his victims. And then there were the photos. There were more than 500 and they were very disturbing. They featured female victims of all ages. The subjects were mostly nude, some were unconscious and others were engaged in sex acts. Authorities ended up finding so much evidence against Lonnie they announced he was a suspect in six more murders. Two of them took place between 1988 and 2002. Which meant Lonnie's grim sleep was shorter than previously thought. Even with that lingering question, there was more than enough evidence to go to trial. After many delays, the proceedings finally began in February 2016. The trial lasted nearly three months. Lonnie maintained his innocence, but the jury could see the truth. On May 5, 2016, 63 year old Lonnie Franklin Jr. Was convicted of 10 murders plus one charge of attempts attempted murder in the case of Anitra Washington. The sentencing hearing took place a month later. On June 6th. The jury recommended the death penalty. And a couple of months later, on August 10, 2016, the LA Superior Court agreed. However, fate intervened before Lonnie could be executed. On March 28, 2020, 10 years after he was arrested, Lonnie was found dead in his cell. He was 67. His cause of death hasn't been specified, but it was ruled to be from natural causes. But now that his grim sleep is permanent, hopefully Lonnie's victims can rest. In looking back at this week in crime history, we can see the power and importance of DNA testing. From the time the technology became commonplace in the 1990s, it has been used to crack countless cold cases that once seemed unsolvable. But it's not just the new tools that have made the difference. It also comes down to the tireless work of detectives. Thanks to them, the Golden State Killer and the Grim Sleeper were finally unmasked. Both of them had lived into their old age, certain they'd take their horrifying secrets to the grave. But although it took longer than it should, they finally faced justice and their victims loved ones could rest easy knowing these killers could never hurt anyone else. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Vanessa Richardson and this is Crime House the Show. The show is a Crime House original Powered by Pave Studios. At Crime House, we want to express our gratitude to you, our community, for making this possible. Please support us by rating, reviewing and following Crime House the Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, your feedback truly matters. And for ad free and early access to Crime House the Show plus exciting bonus content, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. We'll be back next Monday. The show is hosted by me, Vanessa Richardson, and is a Crime House original. Powered by Pave Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Crime House the Show team Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Natalie Pertzovsky, Lori Marinelli, Sarah Camp, Nani Aqualagu, Claire Cronin and Michael Langsner. Thank you for listening. Ready to rethink everything you know about true crime? Check out Murder in the Media, the first audiobook from Crime House Studios. Find Murder in the Media on Spotify. Hi there, it's Vanessa Richardson. Crime House is your go to destination for the most gripping true crime shows. On my show, Killer Minds. Join me and forensic psychologist Dr. Tristan Engels for two new episodes as we dive into the twisted story of the doctor Death serial killer Michael Swango. Craving more deep dives into the minds of the world's most dangerous killers? Follow Killer Minds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you listen.