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California serial killer, the 'Grim Sleeper,' found dead in his cell

3 years 11 months 4 weeks ago Monday, March 30 2020 Mar 30, 2020 March 30, 2020 6:01 AM March 30, 2020 in News
Source: CNN
Lonnie Franklin, convicted serial killer, was found dead in his cell Saturday night. Photo: CNN

A convicted serial killer, accused of stalking and then slaying women in California over a span of three decades, died over the weekend at San Quentin State Prison.

Lonnie Franklin, known as the "Grim Sleeper," was found unresponsive in his cell Saturday night, according to a statement from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

CNN reports that an autopsy is being performed to determine the 67-year-old's cause of death, but there were no signs of trauma, the statement said.

Before his capture, Franklin worked as a city trash collector and garage attendant at an LAPD station. Police collected DNA from some of the crime scenes but were unable to find a match for several years.

He was finally arrested in July of 2010 when an undercover officer helped to obtain DNA from Franklin and it was eventually found to be a positive match for DNA at more than one of the crime scenes. 

When police raided his South Los Angeles home, they discovered photos and videos of 180 women. Police have since identified and located most of his 'targets,' but about 30 of the women remain unaccounted for. 

Franklin was found guilty on 10 counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in the deaths of nine women and one teenage girl between 1985 and 2007.

He was sentenced to death on August 10, 2016 in Los Angeles County.

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