NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE GRIM SLEEPER!

A while ago, I wrote about the Grim Sleeper and promised to keep you informed of his pending trial. Today, the trial began in Los Angeles, and CNN is reporting its coverage. The article written is so good, I'm pasting it in here for those of you who expressed interest. This article was written by Scott Glover from CNN.

Here's the link to the video that accompanied the article: http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/16/us/lonnie-franklin-grim-sleeper-killer-trial/

Catch up on the 'Grim Sleeper' case

Story highlights

• "Most of them were in various states of undress," prosecutor says of victims
• Lonnie David Franklin Jr. is charged with killing one girl and nine women ranging in age from 15 to 35
• The killing sprees occurred 13 years apart, inspiring the nickname the "Grim Sleeper" for the period of apparent inactivity

Los Angeles (CNN)Thirty years after the first of the Grim Sleeper serial killer victims was found fatally shot and discarded in a South Los Angeles alley, Lonnie David Franklin Jr. is facing a jury in a downtown courtroom.

 

Franklin, a former garbage collector and police garage attendant, is charged with killing one girl and nine women ranging in age from 15 to 35 over a span of three decades. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Opening statements began Tuesday.

The killings for which Franklin is charged came in spurts that were 13 years apart, resulting in the nickname "the Grim Sleeper" for the period of apparent inactivity.

Lonnie David Franklin Jr. is accused of being the Los Angeles-area serial killer known as the Grim Sleeper.

 

Franklin, 63, has pleaded not guilty. His attorney has promised a vigorous defense of the man neighbors described as friendly, helpful and reliable.

"All I can say is stayed tuned," said the lawyer, Seymour Amster.

 

The trial is expected to last two to three months, said Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman, the lead prosecutor on the case.

 

Silverman told the jury Tuesday that the murders "followed a pattern."

Victims were taken from a murder scene, and their bodies were dumped in alleys and trash bins, concealed by garbage or mattresses, the prosecutor said.

 

"Most of them were in various states of undress," she said in her opening statement. "Some were missing their bras. ... Some were missing their underwear."

 

All bodies were "Jane Does" when first discovered, and relatives had to identify them later.

 

"All tested positive for cocaine, except one," Silverman said of the autopsies.

 

The defense reserved its opening statements until after the prosecution completes its list of witnesses, at which point the defense will begin presenting its side to the jury.

A case with a lot of notoriety

The case has already spawned a documentary about Franklin, an "official" website and a made-for-TV movie about a local reporter whose stories for the LA Weekly drew attention to the case.

 

The LAPD has been both criticized for failing to alert the community sooner that there was a serial killer on the prowl (before Franklin was identified by name) and heralded for doggedly pursuing the case once the more recent slayings were discovered.

 

Evidence in the case will span three decades of policing in Los Angeles: From the murderous, crack-fueled 1980s, during which at least two serial killers were operating in South L.A., to the relative calm of the 2000s and the creation of an LAPD cold case unit charged with taking fresh looks at unsolved slayings, to the modern era of advanced DNA testing.

 

Prosecutors say they have tied Franklin to the killings with physical evidence, including saliva collected from bodies, and ballistic matches between slugs recovered from crime scenes and a .25 caliber handgun seized from Franklin's home the day he was arrested.

 

A woman alleged to be a surviving victim of Franklin is expected to be a star witness against him.

Enietra Washington was shot in the chest with a .25 caliber handgun and sexually assaulted before escaping. She has since identified Franklin as her assailant. In addition to the 10 counts of murder, Franklin is charged with one count of attempted murder in Washington's attack.

 

Back to the 1980s

The first killing spree attributed to Franklin began in the summer of 1985 and seemingly ended three years later. Police did not know his identity at the time but had linked seven slayings to the same .25 caliber handgun. The bodies of the victims were found scattered in alleys around South Los Angeles, often covered in debris.

 

The then-unknown killer apparently fell dormant for years.

 

Before the arrest: The hunt for the Grim Sleeper

Decades later, in 2007, LAPD homicide detectives got word from the department's forensic lab of "case to case hits" linking one person's DNA to unsolved slayings in 2002, 2003 and 2007, according to Detective Dennis Kilcoyne.

 

11 photos:

Lachrica Jefferson – The body of 22-year-old Lachrica Jefferson was found January 30, 1988. Like the other victims, she had been shot in the chest and left in an alley.

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11 photos:

Alicia Alexander – On September 11, 1988, Alicia "Monique" Alexander asked her father whether he needed anything from the liquor store before leaving the house. The body of the 18-year-old was found days later in an alley. Police said she had been sexually assaulted and shot in the chest.

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7 of 11

11 photos:

Princess Berthomieux – Princess Berthomieux disappeared December 21, 2001. No clues into the 15-year-old's whereabouts came until March 19, 2002, when her body was found in an alley. She was strangled and beaten. DNA on her body matched DNA left on the bodies of the other victims, signaling to police that the killer's 13-year hiatus was over.

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Valerie McCorvey – The body of 35-year-old Valerie McCorvey was found in an alley on July 11, 2003. Police said she had been sexually assaulted and strangled. They initially suspected her boyfriend until DNA on her body was found to match DNA of earlier victims.

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Janecia Peters – A homeless man found the body of Janecia Peters, 25, on January 1, 2007. She had been shot in the back and placed in a garbage bag.

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Enietra Washington – Enietra Washington is the only known survivor of the Grim Sleeper. She was raped and shot in November 1988 before she managed to escape. Washington is expected to be the star witness in the trial of the accused killer, Lonnie David Franklin Jr. Franklin is charged with attempted murder in Washington's attack.

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11 photos:

Debra Jackson – On August 10, 1985, cocktail waitress Debra Jackson, 29, left her friend's Lynwood house and went to take a bus to her apartment in South-Central Los Angeles. Her body, with three gunshot wounds to the chest, was found days later in an alley.

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Henrietta Wright – Henrietta Wright, 35, was found dead August 12, 1986, in a South Los Angeles alley. Wright, who was shot twice in the chest, was found barefoot, wrapped in a blanket and covered with a mattress. Police said her mouth had been gagged with a cloth.

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11 photos:

Barbara Ware – Barbara Ware, 23, was found dead January 10, 1987. Ware's body was found under a pile of trash in an alley. She had been shot once in the chest.

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Bernita Sparks – On April 15, 1987, 26-year-old Bernita Sparks told her mother she needed to go to the store for cigarettes but never returned. She was found the next day in a trash bin, covered in garbage. She had been beaten, strangled and shot in the chest.

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11 photos:

Mary Lowe – Late on Halloween night in 1987, 26-year-old Mary Lowe told her mother she was going to a party. It was the last time she was seen. Her body was found the next day in an alley. She had been shot once in the chest.

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11 photos:

Lachrica Jefferson – The body of 22-year-old Lachrica Jefferson was found January 30, 1988. Like the other victims, she had been shot in the chest and left in an alley.

Hide Caption

6 of 11

11 photos:

Alicia Alexander – On September 11, 1988, Alicia "Monique" Alexander asked her father whether he needed anything from the liquor store before leaving the house. The body of the 18-year-old was found days later in an alley. Police said she had been sexually assaulted and shot in the chest.

Hide Caption

7 of 11

11 photos:

Princess Berthomieux – Princess Berthomieux disappeared December 21, 2001. No clues into the 15-year-old's whereabouts came until March 19, 2002, when her body was found in an alley. She was strangled and beaten. DNA on her body matched DNA left on the bodies of the other victims, signaling to police that the killer's 13-year hiatus was over.

Hide Caption

8 of 11

11 photos:

Valerie McCorvey – The body of 35-year-old Valerie McCorvey was found in an alley on July 11, 2003. Police said she had been sexually assaulted and strangled. They initially suspected her boyfriend until DNA on her body was found to match DNA of earlier victims.

Hide Caption

9 of 11

11 photos:

Janecia Peters – A homeless man found the body of Janecia Peters, 25, on January 1, 2007. She had been shot in the back and placed in a garbage bag.

Hide Caption

10 of 11

11 photos:

Enietra Washington – Enietra Washington is the only known survivor of the Grim Sleeper. She was raped and shot in November 1988 before she managed to escape. Washington is expected to be the star witness in the trial of the accused killer, Lonnie David Franklin Jr. Franklin is charged with attempted murder in Washington's attack.

Hide Caption

11 of 11

11 photos:

Debra Jackson – On August 10, 1985, cocktail waitress Debra Jackson, 29, left her friend's Lynwood house and went to take a bus to her apartment in South-Central Los Angeles. Her body, with three gunshot wounds to the chest, was found days later in an alley.

Hide Caption

1 of 11

11 photos:

Henrietta Wright – Henrietta Wright, 35, was found dead August 12, 1986, in a South Los Angeles alley. Wright, who was shot twice in the chest, was found barefoot, wrapped in a blanket and covered with a mattress. Police said her mouth had been gagged with a cloth.

Hide Caption

2 of 11

11 photos:

Barbara Ware – Barbara Ware, 23, was found dead January 10, 1987. Ware's body was found under a pile of trash in an alley. She had been shot once in the chest.

Hide Caption

3 of 11

11 photos:

Bernita Sparks – On April 15, 1987, 26-year-old Bernita Sparks told her mother she needed to go to the store for cigarettes but never returned. She was found the next day in a trash bin, covered in garbage. She had been beaten, strangled and shot in the chest.

Hide Caption

4 of 11

11 photos:

Mary Lowe – Late on Halloween night in 1987, 26-year-old Mary Lowe told her mother she was going to a party. It was the last time she was seen. Her body was found the next day in an alley. She had been shot once in the chest.

Hide Caption

5 of 11

11 photos:

Lachrica Jefferson – The body of 22-year-old Lachrica Jefferson was found January 30, 1988. Like the other victims, she had been shot in the chest and left in an alley.

Hide Caption

6 of 11

Detectives were unable to match the killer's DNA to any known samples contained in databanks. The department formed a task force, which soon discovered that the killings in the 2000s were connected to the unsolved spree in the 1980s, Kilcoyne wrote in a statement submitted to a congressional subcommittee investigating the use of DNA in so-called cold cases.

In 2008, detectives submitted crime scene DNA from both sprees to the California Department of Justice to conduct a "familia search" to determine whether a close relative of the unknown killer was in a state databank of convicted felons' DNA.

The search came back negative.

But a second attempt, conducted two years later, yielded a hit, Kilcoyne wrote. It matched the DNA to a recently convicted felon.

The criminal's father turned out to be Franklin, according to authorities.

Detectives placed Franklin under 24-hour surveillance and came up with a plan to obtain a sample of his DNA.

An undercover officer posed as a waiter at a local restaurant and collected a pizza crust left behind by the suspect. DNA taken from the crust matched DNA left by the suspect in multiple murders, Kilcoyne wrote.

An arrest and puzzled neighbors

Franklin was arrested in July of 2010.

When police raided his South Los Angeles home, they discovered photos and videos of 180 women. Police have since accounted for the identities and whereabouts of most of them, but the circumstances surrounding about 30 of the women remain unknown.

In the wake of Franklin's arrest, neighbors told reporters it was difficult to reconcile the charges with the pleasant, helpful man they knew.

Grim Sleeper serial killer suspect known as nice, funny 'fix-it' man

Steve Robinson, who lived across the street from Franklin and said he knew him for more than 20 years, said he had no inkling that his friend could be capable of the acts he's alleged to have committed.

"He was just a good guy," Robinson said. But as the case heads to trial, Robinson said, "all the evidence points toward him."

"DNA don't lie," he added.

Silverman, the prosecutor, said multiple postponements of the long-awaited trial have taken a toll on the victims' loved ones.

The mothers of two of the victims died during the more than five years since Franklin's arrest, she said.

"That means they won't get to see justice for their daughters or be there for victim impact statements," if he's convicted, she said. "It's beyond frustrating."

CNN's Paul Vercammen and Michael Martinez contributed to this report.

The Corpse in the Cabana

I can't even tell you how excited I am to present to you my very first cozy mystery, The Corpse in the Cabana! Read on to find out more...

The Corpse in the Cabana (Viola Roberts Cozy Mystery - Book One):

Sassy, snarky Viola Roberts quit her boring accountant job to pursue her dream of writing novels, even if it meant eating ramen noodles every day. Now that her career has taken off, she’s headed to a writers’ conference at an exotic Florida resort complete with white sand beaches and swaying palm trees where she plans to lounge in the shade drinking frosty beverages with little umbrellas. And, of course, no sojourn to tropical climes would be complete without her boozy, wise-cracking best friend, Cheryl. When Viola discovers the diva of the author world dead (as a doornail) of unnatural causes, the police immediately consider Viola their prime suspect. But when the head detective turns a gimlet eye on Viola’s best friend, the author has had enough! Along with help from hunky fellow writer, Lucas Salvatore, Viola is determined to ascertain who killed the corpse in the cabana before she, or Cheryl, wind up in jail. Or worse.

Ebook available on:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

(And other Amazon Country stores)

Kobo

iBooks

Nook

For all the latest news on my cozies, please sign up for my mailing list.

TAKING ON THE MOB, ONE MEMBER AT A TIME! SAMMY 'THE BULL' GRAVANO

One of my upcoming novels is about the mafia titled Sleeping with the Enemy. The story is about
Giuliana Ruggieri, an only child of an immigrant family who witnesses her father’s death at the hands of a man she believes to be her uncle. Just eight-years old at the time, she was too young to understand the logistics of her large family.

With the help of a friend, the trio are whisked off to New York City where they take on new identities. It isn't until years later that Giuliana learns her father, the man she's always thought of as her hero, was the crime boss of the fiercest family in Italy. Devastated, she decides to become a member of the NYPD--she's going to demolish the mafia. During the early years, she falls in love with a restaurateur by the name of Nicky. She fits right in with his family and friends. To protect her identity and because men are intimidated by her line of work, she uses a fictitious name and claims to be a secretary. She never really thought she and Nicky would become an item, but by that time, it was too late and she maintained her secret. When she's offered an assignment to work undercover for the mob, she breaks off the relationship. Four months into the assignment, she learns Nicky is one of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, today, my first series post is about career criminals in the mob to get you acquainted. Lord knows, I won't run out of subjects. This post is about John Gotti and Sammy "the bull" Gravano.

I actually met Mr. Gotti when I worked in a law firm in New Jersey. Talk about handsome. OMG! Believe every word they say about the way he dressed. He was the Dapper Don. Seeing him and knowing about the awful things he did it's hard to believe he was capable of all those things. But as we all know, he did every one of them, and he paid dearly.

I remember the day he entered the office. I did a double-take, certain I was mistaken, but my boss came out of his office and scooted him behind closed doors so fast, I didn't have a chance to drool. He wanted my boss to represent his nephew for an offense he'd committed.

The day of the trial, my boss took him for lunch at a small luncheonette near the courthouse and my sister happened to be having lunch there as well. My sister is very pretty and John was taken aback by her. When my boss returned to the office, he told me John wanted to date my sister. My sister was married and that was the end of that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First up is Sammy 'the Bull" Gravano, the man who took John Gotti down without a bullet!

Sammy "the Bull" Gravano was known as an Associate. According to the dictionary, an associate  is an unofficial low level member of a crime family who often works in the family's rackets or carries out odd jobs for family members in the hopes of being 'made' into a family soldato. An associate is not a member of the mob; his role is more similar to that of an errand boy. Usually seen as a go-between, associates sometimes deal in drugs to keep the heat off the actual members. In other cases, an associate might be a corrupt labor union delegate or businessman.

Sammy Gravano eventually worked himself up to underboss in the Gambino crime family. He's the most famous informant against former boss John Gotti. His testimony helped put Gotti in prison for the rest of his life. Interesting that the Feds were willing to forgive Gravano for committing numerous murders and contract killings  himself during his criminal career, during which, he acquired his nickname, “The Bull”, because of his size and stature, and his habit of starting fist fights with fellow mobsters.

He began his mafia activity in the late 1960s as an associate of the Colombo crime, actively participating in armed robberies and other petty crimes, though he quickly evolved into the lucrative field of loan sharking. Gravano committed his first murder in 1970 when he killed Joe Colluci who'd been having an affair with Tommy Spero’s wife. Instead, Gravano shot Colluci in the head at close range in a mobster-owned bar. It was that murder that earned Gravano respect among powerful underworld figures.

By the early 1970s Gravano was an associate of the Gambino family. Although he was arrested on suspicion of murder, the Feds apparently couldn't prove it and he was soon released. It was during this time that began a long running robbery spree that lasted a year and a half. He was rewarded by the Gambino family by making his a 'made man'. A made member is something all the associates aspire to become.  

As a made man, his first contract killing occurred in 1980. The victim was  John Simone, who had been part of a conspiracy to murder Philadelphia crime boss Angelo Bruno, without the consent of the mafia commission. THIS was a big no-no in the mafia!  Gravano abducted Simone with the help of two friends and drove him to a wooded area where he was shot in the head and his body disposed of.

Gravano would go on to commit many more crimes. Coming up on his third murder in the early 1980s, he decided to kill a wealthy business magnate who'd insulted him. This is what is meant by,
 I don't get mad, I get even. He was ambushed in the street by Gravano’s friends and shot in the head, and once in each eyeball. Gravano proceeded to spit on the man as he died on the floor.

It wasn't long after that Gravano became underboss of the Gambino crime family under John Gotti, and was Gotti’s favorite hitman in this period. After he was charged with various crimes, he offered evidence against Gotti in return for reduced jail time. He had confessed to 19 murders, and for this, he only received a five-year sentence.

As they say, once a criminal, always a criminal, Gravano was placed in the Witness Protection Program, but that didn't last long because he became involved with organized crime in Arizona. And now, he's back in the slammer serving time! 

Shéa MacLeod, here, and I'm so excited to share my first post for Murder in the First! The road to writing mysteries was a rather winding one for me. Let me attempt to (briefly) share my story.

I've always wanted to be a writer, ever since the first time my mother took me to the library to select a stack of picture books. By the time I was ten I'd moved to Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. By twelve I'd read all those and was begging for more mysteries. My mother handed me my first Agatha Christie. The first time I read it, I knew. I wanted not just to write fiction, but to write mysteries just like my hero, Agatha Christie.

Fast forward more years than I'd care to think about...

I still loved Agatha Christie. I binge watched Murder, She Wrote, CSI, and Criminal Minds. I still dreamed of writing mysteries, my first love, but first I thought I'd try my hand at paranormal romance (I also love PNR!) first. I'd just finished my first book and my parents were visiting me (I lived in London at the time). We decided to tour England a bit. Our first stop? Well, Agatha Christie's house, naturally!

Once again, my love of mysteries was piqued. The ideas flew fast and thick. So many ways to commit murder! Could one get away with it? How would the detective figure things out? I jotted some of the ideas down, thinking I would finally write one. But then my paranormals took off, becoming bestsellers in several countries. The mysteries went on the back shelf. Still, my love of mystery can be seen even in my paranormal romances. They all have just a splash of mystery in them! 

Still, in the back of my mind a character was emerging. A sassy, snarky, bold woman who would find herself smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation and decide nothing would do but to solve it herself. 

Finally, in 2015 I was at a writers' conference in sunny Florida when a friend of mine suggested I should really write that cozy mystery I'd been talking about. And so Viola Roberts and The Corpse in the Cabana was born. 

Viola is definitely sassy, most certainly snarky, and not about to lie down and take it when a certain detective accuses her of murder. The setting is the stunning resort where I stayed when I was in Florida (I love tossing in real places when I write). And the murder... well, I don't want to give too much away! 

All I can say is that, at last, the dream I had at ten years old has finally come true. With The Corpse in the Cabana releasing on Feb 9th, I'm finally a cozy mystery author!

Want to be notified of the release of The Corpse in the Cabana? Be sure and sign up for Shéa's mailing list HERE.