This Shocking True Crime Documentary Exposes The Terrifying Legacy Of A Los Angeles Serial Killer
Tyler Doupe'
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Tales of the Grim Sleeper chronicles the reign and eventual capture of Lonnie Franklin. Franklin is believed to be a serial killer known as The Grim Sleeper, who was active for at least 25 years. Similar to BTK, Franklin was a fixture in his community and well-respected by his neighbors. When he was charged with the Grim Sleeper killings, many of his friends were outraged and didn’t believe he was capable of such heinous acts. In fact, many of his neighbors and friends still don’t fully believe he’s guilty of the charges that have been lodged against him. However, even the friends that believe in Lonnie’s innocence have come to admit that they have questions.
Not knowing Franklin, it’s difficult to be optimistic about his innocence. Photos of numerous missing women were recovered from his home. And we hear countless recollections that seem to speak to his guilt. With that said, I still have questions of my own. My biggest reservations stem from an alternate suspect (a police officer) that was charged with the Grim Sleeper killings and ultimately released due to lack of evidence. That development gives me pause and makes me wonder if Lonnie may have had an accomplice.
Tales of the Grim Sleeper proves to be a tough watch because, in addition to the dark nature of the subject matter, we get a firsthand look at how little press the murders got and how it appeared as though very little effort was devoted by law enforcement to apprehending The Grim Sleeper.
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It’s safe to say that a serial killer targeting a white community would never have been allowed to kill for a quarter of a century. It’s hard to think that systemic racism wasn’t a major factor in the perceived lack of urgency by local law enforcement and city officials. And that message is underscored by the LAPD’s lack of willingness to speak to the case or even give a statement for the documentary.
Anyone that’s paying attention knows that Black, Brown, and Indigenous lives are treated differently by law enforcement than white lives. But it is, nonetheless, unsettling to realize just how blatant and pervasive those differences are. Countless lives could have been saved if sufficient resources were devoted to stopping The Grim Sleeper early on. But it doesn’t seem like apprehending him was a priority to the LAPD because the killings targeted sex workers in a Black community.
To fully illustrate just how lacking the investigation was, police waited 22 years to reveal to the public that a serial killer was active in South L.A. In spite of knowing that, they kept the information private. Their unwillingness to speak to the case leaves us to draw our own conclusions about why that detail was kept under wraps.
Lack of urgency from law enforcement aside, Tales of the Grim Sleeper does a commendable job of delving into Lonnie’s psychological profile. It even suggests that he may have wanted to get caught towards the end. That fact provides a certain amount of perspective. If he did want to get caught, maybe it’s because he wanted to stop but didn’t know how. Unfortunately, law enforcement didn’t go after him aggressively enough to see that he was caught until countless lives were lost at his hand.
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While we get a look at Lonnie’s psyche, the doc never sensationalizes the crimes of which he’s been accused or makes him the central focus. Directors Nick Broomfield, Barney Broomfield, and Marc Hoeferlin do a commendable job of chronicling the impact on the victims’ families and showcasing the never-ending pain with which they continuously wrestle, rather than making the story about Lonnie.
Another major strength of the doc is the inclusion of Pam, a member of Lonnie’s neighborhood. Pam winds up assisting the filmmakers and acting as a liaison between the crew and the locals. She adds so much character to the documentary as she shares her life story with the team. She engaged in sex work from the time she was 17. Now four years sober, she embraces the film crew when so many locals shy away or condemn them. She would have every right to be bitter, based on her experiences. But she leads with love and she brings occasional moments of levity to some unbelievably heavy subject matter.
I would highly recommend checking Tales of the Grim Sleeper out. It’s an unflinching portrait that wisely focuses more on the harm perpetrated and the impact on the community than the man responsible. In spite of being an HBO documentary, the film isn’t available on MAX. It is, however, available to rent or purchase from YouTube and Google Play
Categorized:Editorials
