Alleged 'Grim Sleeper' Appears In Court For Pretrial Hearing
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The alleged serial killer known as the "Grim Sleeper" was in court for a pretrial hearing Monday.
Lonnie Franklin, Jr., now 60 years old, faces 10 counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for the deaths of women who were shot, strangled or both over several decades in Los Angeles.
During the investigation, officials recovered nearly 180 photos of women, some dating back to the 1970s, from Franklin's South Los Angeles home.
The Los Angeles Police Department continues to seek the public's help in identifying women in 38 remaining photos.
Head of the LAPD's Grim Sleeper task force, Det. Dennis Kilcoyne, told KNX 1070 they have done everything they can, including using social media, to identify the remaining women.
'Grim Sleeper' Task Force Det. Dennis Kilcoyne
"We're on Facebook, we're on Twitter," Kilcoyne said. "I mean we still get occasional calls, but it's nothing like before."
The victims ranged in age from 14 years old to 36 years old.
Police linked Franklin in Nov. 2011 to as many as 18 murders in Southern California between 1985 to 1988 and 2002 to 2007.
The "Grim Sleeper" nickname stems from the 14-year gap between killings with which he has been charged.
Kilcoyne said investigators have linked Franklin to six additional killings and three more attempted murders between 1984 and 2007.
Officials have decided to not seek charges on these nine other victims to avoid further delays in the current case against Franklin.
"To have to start from the beginning again…I mean that would be absurd and not fair to the families," Kilcoyne said.
Franklin pleaded not guilty in the death penalty case.
A trial date has not been set.
Photos of the 38 remaining women can be found here. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (877)LAPD-247.
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