"Hiding in Plain Sight": KCAL 9's Report on the Prosecution's Closing in the Grim Sleeper Trial, 2016

Name: "Hiding in Plain Sight": KCAL 9's Report on the Prosecution's Closing in the Grim Sleeper Trial, 2016
Uploaded: 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z
Duration: 1 min 29 s
Description: A KCAL 9 report from May 2, 2016, as closing arguments began in the Grim Sleeper trial, with excerpts of the prosecutor's closing and a victim's sister.

A KCAL 9 report from May 2, 2016, as closing arguments began in the Grim Sleeper trial, with excerpts of the prosecutor's closing and a victim's sister.

Subject: Lonnie Franklin
Recorded: about May 2, 2016
Runtime: 1:29

Content warning: Refers to the murders of nine women and a 15-year-old girl; no graphic detail.

The Interview

This is not an interview with Lonnie Franklin Jr., who is not heard in it. It is a 1:29 news report broadcast by KCAL 9 in Los Angeles on May 2, 2016, the day closing arguments began in Franklin's murder trial. Reporter Dave Lopez's report includes short excerpts of Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman's closing argument and a brief exchange with Kenneitha Lowe, whose sister Mary Lowe was one of the victims.

Historical Context

Between 1985 and 2007 nine women and a 15-year-old girl were murdered in South Los Angeles. The unknown killer was called the "Grim Sleeper" because of an apparent long gap between the killings of the 1980s and those of the 2000s. Franklin, a former city sanitation worker and LAPD garage mechanic, was arrested on July 7, 2010, after a familial DNA search. His trial opened on February 16, 2016.

Circumstances

Closing arguments began on Monday, May 2, 2016, before Judge Kathleen Kennedy in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Silverman argued for the prosecution; Seymour Amster represented Franklin. The jury convicted Franklin three days later, on May 5, of ten counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

What the Recording Covers

Silverman tells the jury, "He did it over and over and over...," and that "none of them deserve to be brutally murdered and dumped like trash." Lopez notes that the case reached the jury nearly six years after Franklin's arrest and nearly 31 years after the first victim was found. Kenneitha Lowe, whose sister Mary Lowe was found murdered in November 1987, is asked whether listening gets easier and answers, "No, no, it gets harder, because you start back reminiscing." Silverman calls the defendant "a sexual predator" and "a serial killer who was basically hiding in plain sight." Lopez recounts Franklin's work in the LAPD motor pool and as a city sanitation driver, notes that an eleventh victim escaped, and closes by saying the jury was told repeatedly that DNA and ballistic evidence linked only one man to the crimes.

What Makes the Recording Significant

It is contemporaneous coverage of the prosecution's closing argument, with courtroom audio of the prosecutor addressing the jury, recorded three days before the verdict.

Archival Importance

It precedes the defense closing the next day and documents the last stage of the guilt phase, between Franklin's 2010 LAPD interrogation and his death sentence on August 10, 2016.

Important Caveats

Franklin is not heard. The YouTube title's "DA" is Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman, not the elected District Attorney; CBS LA's web story misnames her "Beth Sullivan." The attribution of each courtroom excerpt to Silverman is inferred from content and other coverage, and one short phrase ("None") is uncertain. The anchor is identified only as "Leyna" in the broadcast caption track; do not supply a surname. The surviving eleventh victim is not named in the report.

Anchor: Closing arguments got underway today in LA's Grim Sleeper serial killer trial. A former sanitation worker accused of killing nine women and one girl over a 22-year span. KCAL 9's Dave Lopez looks at the DNA evidence against Lonnie Franklin Jr.

Beth Silverman: He did it over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Dave Lopez: Nearly six years after he was arrested, and nearly 31 years after the first of his 10 alleged victims were found, Lonnie Franklin's fate is almost in the hands of a jury.

Beth Silverman: None of them deserve to be brutally murdered and dumped like trash.

Beth Silverman: None. [unclear: "very none"]

Dave Lopez: Kenneitha Lowe is the sister of Mary Lowe, who was found murdered in November 1987.

Dave Lopez: Does it get any easier to listen to this?

Kenneitha Lowe: No, no, it gets harder, because you start back reminiscing.

Beth Silverman: It should be obvious: the defendant is a sexual predator.

Dave Lopez: Franklin once worked in the LAPD motor pool as a mechanic. He also was a longtime worker for the city as a sanitation driver.

Beth Silverman: The defendant is a serial killer who was basically hiding in plain sight. He blended in.

Dave Lopez: He's accused of killing 10 women, including a 15-year-old girl. An 11th victim escaped. Over and over, the jury was told it is DNA evidence and ballistic evidence that links only one man to this crime: Lonnie Franklin. From downtown Los Angeles, Dave Lopez, KCAL 9 News. ---