A chilling new documentary is set to uncover the sick crimes of the infamous Grim Sleeper serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr – and how he managed to evade capture for two decades.
A&E's two-hour special Cold Case Files: The Grim Sleeper will explore the real-life story of the search for the elusive murderer and the fight for justice in a Los Angeles community.
Franklin notoriously terrorized South Central in the 1980s, murdering African American women and discarding their bodies in the street.
But, despite the victim count continuing to rise, the LAPD struggled to find a suspect in the case which in turn sparked fear and anger in a community.
Dubbed The Grim Sleeper for taking an apparent 14-year break from his crimes, Franklin continued to frighten the neighborhood until DNA technology allowed the cops to close in on the perpetrator.
Grim Sleeper serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr is being put under the spotlight in a new two-hour documentary
The killer was responsible for at least 10 murders and one attempted murder in Los Angeles
Narrated by actress Regina Hall, the upcoming documentary features in depth interviews with survivors and victims' families, many speaking for the first time, as well as rare archival footage.
It explores the personal stories of the victims who were all but forgotten by the police, the media and the community at large.
'We're driving and everything went quiet,' a contributor says in the gripping trailer. 'He shot me!'
Another adds: 'The police could have caught him, they thought of us as just drug addicts.'
Franklin murdered nine women and a teenage girl - Debra Jackson, Henrietta Wright, Mary Lowe, Bernita Sparks, Barbara Ware, Lachrica Jefferson, Monique Alexander, Princess Berthomieux, Valerie McCorvey and Janecia Peters.
Berthomieux, 15, was a runaway strangled in Inglewood, California.
Franklin was eventually arrested as a suspect in July 2010, before being convicted four years later in 2016.
During his trial, he was linked to 14 slayings, including four women he wasn't charged with killing.
Franklin earned his nickname for taking an apparent 14-year break from his crimes
'The police could have caught him, they thought of us as just drug addicts,' a contributor says in the gripping trailer
Police have said he may have had as many as 25 victims since 1984.
Most of the victims were fatally shot at close range with a .25 caliber pistol, though two were strangled.
Their naked bodies were dumped and left to rot in alleys and trash bins.
Franklin was also convicted of the attempted murder of Enietra Washington.
She testified that he shot her, sexually assaulted her and took a Polaroid picture of her before pushing her out of his vehicle and leaving her for dead 27 years ago.
Franklin was eventually arrested as a suspect in July 2010, before being convicted four years later in 2016
Cold Case Files: The Grim Sleeper premieres Friday, November 8 at 9pm ET/PT on A&E
Serial killer Franklin died behind bars in March 2020 at the age of 67.
California corrections officials said he was found unresponsive in his cell at San Quentin State Prison on March 28, 2020 at 7.20pm.
Medics tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at 7.43pm.
'There were no signs of trauma,' California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton told People at the time.
Cold Case Files: The Grim Sleeper premieres Friday, November 8 at 9pm ET/PT on A&E.
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