Grim Sleeper: Trial beginning for accused South LA serial killer
Trial begins Tuesday for Lonnie Franklin Jr., the man accused of killing ten women in South L.A. over the span of decades.
Judicial officials expect the courtroom to fill up with family members of the alleged victims and media covering the notorious case as it begins with opening arguments before a jury this week.
Franklin is accused of preying on vulnerable women, many living in South L.A. Some of his victims were likely prostitutes.
Franklin has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
The murders, which prosecutors argue Franklin committed himself, span more than two decades, marked by long periods of inactivity–prompting the Grim Sleeper moniker.
Police searched for years for the serial killer, and the L.A. City Council offered a $500,000 reward for information leading to the perpetrator’s capture.
Detectives say the break in the case came when they linked DNA evidence to Franklin. Detectives used a sample collected from Franklin’s son to tie him to material collected from a crime scene. They then matched it to Franklin after following him and taking a sample from a plate of pizza he threw in the trash. .
Franklin was arrested in 2010 at the age of 57. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. (KPCC)
DODGER STADIUM TO HOST MORE CONCERTS UNDER NEW PARTNERSHIP
Dodger Stadium could be hosting a few more big-name concerts every year under a new partnership formed between the baseball team’s owners and two veterans of the live-entertainment industry.
The team is partnering with Tim Leiweke, former head of sports conglomerate AEG, and Irving Azoff, one of the most influential figures in the live-music industry, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The goal is to host at least two or three major performances per year and then possibly increase the number over time. But big acts take time to set up and dismantle their stage sets, so scheduling the events during baseball season could be tricky.
The Chavez Ravine stadium has hosted a number of other concerts and non-baseball events over the years, including AC/DC last year, Paul McCartney in 2014 and the Jacksons in 1984.
Leiweke served for many years as president of Anschutz Entertainment Group, the international sports and entertainment company which owns the Staples Center and the L.A. Kings, among other teams and venues. He left AEG in 2012 and became president of a Canadian sports company, then left that position last year.
Azoff has previously headed Ticketmaster and Live Nation among other industry ventures. In 2012, he was named the most powerful person in the music industry by Billboard magazine. (ABC)
17 Governors Announce Clean Energy, Transportation Agreement
Governors from 17 states are committing to work together to seek cleaner energy and transportation, and to build a better electrical grid.
The bipartisan group announced on Tuesday what it’s calling the Governors’ Accord for a New Energy Future.
The governors intend to work together on energy planning and policies . The accord says the goal is to expand participating states’ economies while protecting citizens’ health and the environment.
The governors are from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
“With this agreement, governors from both parties have joined together and committed themselves to a clean energy future,” California Gov. Jerry Brown said in a statement. “Our goal is to clean up the air and protect our natural resources.”
The states include nearly 40 percent of the nation’s population. (CBS)
After Hot Spell, Rain Headed for SoCal Late Wednesday
Strong Santa Ana winds continue to buffet the region, with National Weather Service forecasters calling for gusts of 30 to 40 mph in the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and between 25 and 35 mph along the coast and in the valleys.
By early afternoon, a series of temperature records had already been set across the Southland, with Long Beach hitting 86 degrees, Los Angeles International Airport reaching 85 and UCLA recording 88 degrees. Around midday, downtown Los Angeles tied the record for this day of 88 degrees, set in 1977.
But forecasters said we’re in for a change with showers and rain possible Wednesday and Thursday. Sunny weather is expected to return on Friday, and a warming trend will begin Saturday, with temperature highs reverting to the 80s in some communities on Sunday. The normal high this time of the year is 68.
The impending precipitation will result from a storm expected to strike mostly north of the Southland, said NWS meteorologist Kathy Hoxsie. Nonetheless, it may produce between a quarter-inch and a half-inch of rain in Southern California through Thursday, she said. (KTLA)
