Capture of Suspected 'Grim Sleeper' Serial Killer 'Will Change the Way Policing is Done in the United States'

The Los Angeles Police Department today released various booking photos of suspected "Grim Sleeper" serial killer Lonnie Franklin, Jr. In addition to his booking photo taken yesterday after his arrest, there were three others, all from previous arrests.

"We have our suspect," declared Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at a press conference this morning. "He is our man," lead Detective Dennis Kilcoyne told reporters with confidence.

Franklin was arrested twice for receiving stolen property in 1993 and 2003 and for assault with a deadly weapon in 1999, according to the LA Weekly. But DNA, the critical clue that tied at least 10 murders together, was not collected from Franklin because he served time in local jails, not state ones.

"In this case, in our 1.5 million data samples, there was no evidence of a suspect in the case," said Attorney General Jerry Brown. To catch Franklin, Brown's office had to carefully tread constitutional law to embark on the process of familial DNA testing, which searches the database for family members. 10 days ago, Franklin's son's DNA was discovered in the database, leading authorities to Franklin, who began staking him out last Friday.

"This is a landmark case," said LAPD Chief Charlie Beck. "This will change the way policing is done in the United States." He explained that familial DNA testing will bring the United States up to par with Western Europe.