The defense lawyer for the man accused in the "Grim Sleeper" serial killings in Los Angeles has told the court that a "mystery man" was the real culprit of the slayings. He also accused the prosecutors in the so-called Grim Sleeper serial killer trial of building a deceptive case against his client.
According to ABC News, defense attorney Seymour Amster asked jurors during his closing argument on Tuesday to question the prosecution's case against Lonnie Franklin Jr. and suggested that a "mystery man" or his nephew could have been responsible. He said that the DNA found at some of the crime scenes belonging to other people was enough to raise reasonable doubt about his client's guilt.
However, Attorney Beth Silverman blasted the defense argument that a "mystery man" or nephew of Lonnie Franklin Jr. might be responsible, in an attempt to murder one of the victims. The claim was also compared to a scene where a "space ship had murdered all 10 women in the case."
A testimony which came from Enietra Washington, the woman who was believed to be the survivor of the incident, said the killer looks younger than Franklin and bears a pock marked, Savannah Now cited. "Each and every murder in this case could have been done by a mystery man with a mystery gun with mystery DNA," the defense lawyer stated.
Amster also added the real culprit had access to his client's car, a Ford Pinto. According to the survivor, the culprit even went to his "uncle's" home to get money before she was shot by the killer. In court, she identified Franklin as her attacker. Franklin Jr. was charged with 10 counts of murder and one attempted murder. He could face the death penalty if convicted, Yahoo News reported.
The 63-year-old former garbage collector, who also worked as a mechanic for the Los Angeles Police Department, was accused of the slaying of a 15-year-old girl and nine young women. He has pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder charges. Meanwhile, jurors are expected to begin deliberating Wednesday.
