LA Serial Killer "Grim Sleeper" Identified & Arrested Through Son's DNA
LAPD ALLEGES SON’S DNA LINKS FATHER TO 11 LA MURDERS OVER PAST THREE DECADES-
According to authorities, Lonnie David Franklin Jr. , a former LAPD mechanic and city trash collector has been linked to the murders of 10 woman and one man over past twenty-five year period.
Investigators remove items from home of Lonnie David Franklin Jr.(Gary Friedman, LA Times, July 7, 2010)
“9 of the 12 cases are linked by ballistics. We have DNA evidence linking 6 of the 12 cases together. We have cross-over on two or three of the cases, so we know it’s the same guy.”
Detective III Dennis Kilcoyne, LAPD Cold Case Unit
My highest KUDOS to LAPD’s Cold Case Unit, and especially to Detective III Dennis Kilcoyne. I knew Dennis well for many years at Hollywood Homicide way back when in “the old days.” I trained Dennis at Hollywood Homicide (mostly in how to drink and read the pretty ladies palms at our local watering holes.) Dennis is a real class act. He is humble, has the ability to acknowledge when mistakes are made, and is extremely tenacious. In my book, he is truly one of LAPD’s FINEST.
MAJOR KUDOS TO LAPD’S COLD CASE UNIT!
Thanks to the tireless efforts of LAPD and DOJ agents working as a team, residents of South Central Los Angeles can breath a lot easier this morning.
Lonnie David Franklin Jr., age 57, has been arrested and remains in “no bail” custody pending formal charges with the L.A. DA’s office. His arrest is being attributed to linkage made from his son’s DNA, which due to it’s STR loci similarities, led detectives to the man LAPD is naming as the actual killer- HIS FATHER.
I quote from this morning’s L.A. Times:
“In announcing the arrests, Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley praised the LAPD and the California Department of Justice, which carried out the DNA “familial search” after Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown approved the use of the relatively new tool.
Only California and Colorado have formal policies that permit the use of software to look for DNA profiles of possible relatives of a suspect.”
Due to the proven success of using familial DNA searches in Southern California, I suggest that the procedure now be tried in Northern California. Let’s start with one of San Francisco’s oldest and coldest unsolved serial killers- ZODIAC.
See full article below:
L.A. Times article on arrest of L.A.’s GRIM SLEEPER
Pizza slice helped link suspect to Grim Sleeper Killings