"I'm Just Happy That That Day Is Here": AP on the Arrest of the "Grim Sleeper" Suspect, 2010

Name: "I'm Just Happy That That Day Is Here": AP on the Arrest of the "Grim Sleeper" Suspect, 2010
Uploaded: 2010-07-08T00:00:00Z
Duration: 2 min 12 s
Description: Associated Press coverage from July 7, 2010, the day Los Angeles police arrested Lonnie Franklin Jr. as the "Grim Sleeper" suspect, with LAPD Capt. Kevin McClure, a victim's mother and neighbors. Franklin is not heard.

Associated Press coverage from July 7, 2010, the day Los Angeles police arrested Lonnie Franklin Jr. as the "Grim Sleeper" suspect, with LAPD Capt. Kevin McClure, a victim's mother and neighbors. Franklin is not heard.

Subject: Lonnie Franklin
Recorded: July 7, 2010
Runtime: 2:12

Content warning: Refers to the murders of ten people, among them a 15-year-old girl, and to how the bodies were left. No graphic detail beyond the narration's summary.

The Interview

This is not an interview with Lonnie Franklin Jr., who is not heard. It is a 2-minute-12-second Associated Press news report, narrated by AP's John Mone, from South Los Angeles on July 7, 2010, the day Franklin was arrested. LAPD Capt. Kevin McClure announces the arrest, Diana Ware, whose daughter Barbara was among the victims, and other relatives react, and a neighbor describes the man he knew.

Historical Context

Between 1985 and 2007, a series of women and one teenage girl were shot or strangled in South Los Angeles and their bodies left outdoors. Because of an apparent gap of about 14 years between killings, the press called the unknown killer the "Grim Sleeper." An LAPD task force reopened the case in 2007, and in 2010 a familial DNA search of California's offender database produced a partial match with Franklin's son, who was in custody on an unrelated matter.

Circumstances

Detectives then collected discarded food and tableware from a restaurant Franklin visited, and the DNA on it matched the crime-scene samples. LAPD Robbery-Homicide detectives arrested Franklin, then 57, in front of his home at 9:20 a.m. on July 7, 2010. The LAPD's formal news conference followed the next day. This AP report was filmed on the day of the arrest, before that news conference.

What the Recording Covers

Capt. Kevin McClure says, "At about 9:20 we made an arrest here in the 1700 block of 81st Street," and names the suspect as "Lonnie David Franklin, 57 years of age." The narrator explains the nickname and the familial DNA lead. Diana Ware says she had hoped to "live long enough to see him get caught." A relative says the families were told "they did have a match through the DNA." A neighbor says Franklin "appeared to be a nice guy" who was "always working on cars." The narrator closes with a summary of the killings and notes that Franklin faced ten murder charges and could face the death penalty.

What Makes the Recording Significant

It is same-day coverage of the arrest that ended a roughly 25-year investigation, and it records the first reactions of a victim's mother and of neighbors, including the "nice guy" impression that became part of the public picture of the case.

Archival Importance

Original AP footage on AP's own channel.

Important Caveats

Franklin is not heard. The narration's account that his DNA came from "a coffee cup at a diner" was an early report; later sources describe pizza crust and tableware collected by an undercover officer. The narration's "all but one were women" reflects the arrest-time list, which included a man for whose death Franklin was never charged; the ten murders he was charged with were of nine women and a 15-year-old girl. The narration's statement that Barbara Ware's body was found "in a van in an alleyway" has not been verified. Capt. Kevin McClure is not named aloud but is identified by AP's on-screen name strap; the other relatives and the neighbor are not named; the identification of the first relative as Diana Ware is from the narration that follows her words.

Narrator: In Los Angeles, detectives have arrested a 57-year-old ex-police mechanic in connection with the murders of 10 people.

Capt. Kevin McClure: At about, uh, 9:20 we made an arrest here in the 1700 block of 81st Street, of, uh, the suspect that has been known to many as the Grim Sleeper. Uh, the suspect is Lonnie David Franklin, 57 years of age.

Narrator: The serial killer was dubbed the Grim Sleeper because he took a decade hiatus between murders. The case stumped investigators for more than 20 years and haunted South Los Angeles.

Diana Ware: Um, I was just wondering when. I hope I live long enough to see him get caught. So I'm just happy that that day is here.

Narrator: Diana Ware's daughter, Barbara, was among the victims. She was murdered in 1987, her body discovered in a van in an alleyway.

Family Member: So, and we just had to come down here to see the area. Uh, we were just coming back from police headquarters.

Narrator: Familial DNA linked the suspect to the crimes. His son was arrested in an unrelated matter and had DNA swabs taken. Those came back as similar to those found in Grim Sleeper killings. Police later matched swabs from his father through a coffee cup at a diner. Police revealed the break to the victims' families.

Family Member: They did have a match through the DNA, you know, and, um, and that's something we're happy about, you know. So they [unclear: "say" / "said"] he won't be going anywhere for a long time.

Narrator: As crime scene technicians carted off mountains of evidence seized from Franklin's home, neighbors described a man whose persona didn't match that of a serial killer.

Neighbor: Well, as far as I know, he's appeared to be a nice guy. And you wouldn't have never thought, you know, you have a killer in the neighborhood that close. And he always, when I always see him, he's always working on cars. He appeared to be a fairly nice guy.

Narrator: Of the victims, all but one were women. They were usually shot, strangled, or both. The bodies were often dumped outside. Many of the killings occurred in the 1980s, a period of extreme violence in South Los Angeles. Franklin faces 10 murder charges when arraigned. He could also face the death penalty if convicted. John Mone, the Associated Press, Los Angeles. [Speech ends at about 02:11; clip ends at 02:12.] ---