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'Grim Sleeper' Suspect Tied to Six More Killings, Bringing His Murder Tally Up to 16
Lonnie David Franklin Jr. appears for arraignment on multiple charges as the alleged "Grim Sleeper" killer, in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday (AP Photo/Al Seib, Pool)
Once investigators found out the so-called "Grim Sleeper" serial murderer was Lonnie Franklin Jr. in 2010, they expected to find evidence that he had killed even more women than the initially suspected, according to the Los Angeles Times.
They were right — investigators said they have linked Franklin to six more murders, according to an investigator who requested anonymity from the Times. That brings his total tally to 16 killings over a period from 1985 until 2007.
Three of the new victims were linked to Franklin through physical evidence. Ballistic evidence showed that the bullets that killed two women came from Franklin's gun. DNA evidence linked Franklin to the third women.
The evidence that links Franklin to the other three killings are more circumstantial. Two victims were reported missing years ago and were never found, but some of their possessions were discovered at Franklin's home. The death of Franklin's last suspected victim was reported on a 911 call. Police listened to the call and think that the caller's voice sounded like Franklin. (He made a similar 911 call for another victim of his.)
Because the case against Franklin is already moving so slowly — wading through evidence for decades of killings is quite a feat — the police are not seeking additional charges for the newly-discovered victims. The police say they don't want to bog down the already-slow justice process, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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