Homicide Report > Janecia Peters [Grim Sleeper], 25
Janecia Peters [Grim Sleeper], 25
Died Jan. 1, 2007 at 2:25 p.m.
![Janecia Peters [Grim Sleeper]](http://www.latimes.com/includes/projects/homicide_report/janecia_peters.jpg)
Janecia Peters, a 25-year old black woman, was found dead Jan. 1, 2007, in the 9500 block of South Western Avenue in Los Angeles. She had been shot and covered with a garbage bag.
A homeless man looking for cans discovered her body and called authorities, according to coroner's records and police. She was initially listed as an unknown female.
When DNA tests linked her killer to earlier slayings, then-Police Chief William J. Bratton ordered the creation of a task force to investigate a serial killer later dubbed the "Grim Sleeper," because the killer had a more than decade-long break in known slayings.
![Map shows location of Franklin's home [purple marker] and locations where Grim Sleeper's victims were found [in red]. Click for more details.](http://www.latimes.com/includes/projects/homicide_report/grim_sleeper_homemap.jpg "Map shows location of Franklin's home [purple marker] and locations where Grim Sleeper's victims were found [in red]. Click for more details.")
On July 7, 2010, authorities arrested Lonnie David Franklin Jr., a 57-year old black man, at his home in South Los Angeles after police said they made DNA matches linking him to Peters' killing, as well as others dating back to 1985.
Prosecutors said they have charged Franklin with 10 counts of murder, noting that he is eligible for the death penalty. He has not been charged in the 1986 shooting death of Thomas Steele, a 36-year old black man, although authorities believe Steele's killing is connected to the other cases.
Franklin is a former city trash collector who at one time worked as a vehicle mechanic at an LAPD station, sources said.
— Times staff reports
Map shows location of home of Lonnie David Franklin, Jr. and the locations of where the Grim Sleeper's victims were found. Click for more details.
- Neighborhood: Gramercy Park
- Age: 25
- Gender: Female
- Cause: Gunshot
- Day of the week: Monday
- Agency: LAPD 77th
- Race/Ethnicity: Black
Related homicides:
- Valerie McCorvey
- Princess Berthomieux
- Alicia Alexander
- Lachrica Jefferson
- Mary Lowe
- Bernita Sparks
- Barbara Ware
- Thomas Steele
- Henrietta Wright
- Debra Jackson
Three reader comments about Janecia Peters [Grim Sleeper]
Bitter sweet victory, it's sad that so many black woman had to dye before the system finally caught up with this coward. Our judicial system fail our communities every single time, i wonder if the effort would have been the same if the victims would have been white? When ever blacks r hispanics r murder there is no rush r a big deal! This case got recognition because there were too many bodies in d count. Parole recomended him long time ago to go to the pen but the system set child molester and murderers free to graduate to bigger and more violent crimes, unfortunatly! My heart goes out to the many families victim of this ass hole.
July 10, 2010 at 8:07 p.m.
I am hoping that all this time went by without an answer was because the science of DNA was not known in the earlier days and not because of race.
Dec. 17, 2010 at 5:10 a.m.
This would always be a difficult case. The first murder that yielded the van SHOULD have provided more clues.
Looking at that era ('80s) - that was a time when crack cocaine was a big epidemic. Prostitution must have been sky high ... a predator like Lonnie Franklin would have thrived.
Dec. 20, 2010 at 9:59 p.m.
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