June 09, 2016
By Kimberlee Buck
Contributing Writer
Tuesday morning, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that the jury in the case of “Grim Sleeper” recommended 63-year-old Lonnie David Franklin Jr. be sentenced to death for the killings of nine women.
The jury found the former city sanitation worker guilty of all ten counts of first-degree murder and guilty of one count of attempted, willful, deliberate and premediated murder that occurred in South L.A.
The Grim Sleeper will appear in court on August 10 for sentencing before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy.
Franklin known for targeting young African American women involved in prostitution, received the name “Grim Sleeper” because of the 14- year gap in his killings.
Most women were reported to have had cocaine in their systems before he strangled them and abandoned their bodies on the side of the road or in the trash. Here are the names of the victims:
- Debra Jackson, 29
- Henrietta Wright, 35
- Barbara Ware, 23
- Bernita Sparks, 26
- Mary Lowe, 26
- Lachrica Jefferson, 22
- Alicia Alexander, 18
- Princess Berthomieux, 15
- Valerie McCorvey, 35
- Janecia Peters, 25
- Enietra Washington
According to the Times, Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman had this to say to the courtroom, "They were so vicious, they were so calculated, and they were so demeaning. The way these women ended up, half of them naked ... all of them in filthy alleys.”
The Grim Sleeper will go down as one of South LA’s most prolific serial killers which took over a decade to connect. This was one of the first times the community had seen any type of brutal killings in the community.
Not only did the trial highlight DNA testing difficulties, but some of the deaths were misattributed to the Crack Epidemic in late ‘80s.
With the verdict in place and the trial coming to a close, families can begin to properly grieve over their loved ones.
June 09, 2016
By Kimberlee Buck
Contributing Writer
This year’s election is history in the making. According to state officials, California’s Tuesday primary election has encouraged nearly 18 million people to register to vote. Resulting in an increase in the number of Democratic, Republican and nonpartisan groups.
Experts predict this year, two-thirds of voters will cast votes by mail.
Aside from the influx in the number of voters in this year’s primary election, history is also being made by presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and U.S Senator candidate Kamala D. Harris.
Hillary Clinton
California wasn’t feeling the Bern in Tuesday night’s primary election. Allowing a major win for presumptive presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in California, New Jersey, South Dakota and New Mexico. Not only is Clinton the first woman to land a spot on a major party ballot but she is also on her way to becoming the first female president of the United States.
“First time in our nation’s history that a woman will be a major party nominee. Tonight’s victory is not about one person, it belongs to generations of women and men who made this moment possible,” said Clinton.
The U.S. Secretary of State and presidential candidate received the 2,383 delegates which also happened to be the amount needed to secure her nomination against opposing presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders. Sanders did not concede, however, saying his “struggle would continue” until next Tuesday.
The polls closed in California that night with Clinton receiving 57 percent of the vote and Sen. Sanders receiving 42 percent.
Kamala D. Harris
California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris won California Primary Election for U.S. Senate against top candidate and U.S Representative Loretta Sanchez formerly taken by Sen. Barbara Boxer. The polls closed with Harris taking 44 percent of the vote and Sanchez with 24 percent.
Although there were 34 candidates in the Senate race, primary polls predict Harris and Sanchez will face off in November.
"I am running for the United States Senate because I love my state. I am a proud daughter of California, and I believe Californians want their next United States senator to be someone who knows how to get things done," Harris said during election hours.
If elected Harris will be the second African American woman and the first Indian woman to hold a seat in the Senate.
Janice Hahn
Congresswoman Hahn representing the 44th District of California, was in a very close race in the California primary for Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (District 4) against former Manhattan Beach City Councilman Steve Napolitano and Whittier School District Board member Ralph Pacheco. As of LAWT press time, Hahn had received 47 percent of the vote, and Napolitano 37 percent.
Maxine Waters
43District Maxine Waters will keep her position, having won by a landslide against Omar Navarro
Karen Bass
Bass will still lead the 37th Senate District, securing almost 83 percent of the vote.
Steven Bradford
Bradford won the 35th Senate District with more than 35 percent of the vote although Warren Furutani was close behind with about 24 percent.
Isadore Hall
California District 35 Senator Isadore Hall, won California Primary Election replacing candidate Janice Hahn for the position of California 44th Congressional District. Hall led the polls with 42 percent of the vote. While Candidate Nannette Diaz Barragan followed close behind with 22 percent of the votes.
Chris Holden
It was a no brainer for constituents of Assembly District 41. Incumbent Chris Holden won almost 60 percent of the vote, Casey Higgins coming behind with nearly half that.
Mike Gipson
Gipson won Assembly District 64 with almost 80 percent.
Darren Parker
Parker came in 3rd for the 36th District. Tom Lackey was the winner with about 52 percent.
For more 2016 Election Results visit www.lasentinel.net
June 02, 2016
City News Service
A man paralyzed in a shooting that occurred while he was trying to escape gunfire that erupted at a downtown Los Angeles hotel in December is suing the establishment and the alleged gunman, who remains at large.
The Standard Downtown L.A. and Jamaine Harrington are named as defendants in the lawsuit filed May 25 in Los Angeles Superior Court by Jayshawn Barton, who is seeking unspecified damages.
A hotel representative could not immediately be reached for comment on the suit, which alleges negligence, premises liability, assault, battery and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Harrington also is being sought in the killing of 22-year-old Thomas Johnson and the wounding of two other men besides Barton who survived the gunfire that began about 2:20 a.m. Dec. 13 at 550 S. Flower St., the Los Angeles Police Department reported.
Harrington and others had been escorted out of the hotel's Rooftop bar before the shootings after they became involved in a fight, the suit says. Harrington and those with him lingered in the lobby, where the gunfire began, according to the complaint.
The suit alleges the hotel had insufficient security and that someone like Harrington should not have been allowed on the premises because he allegedly had a known propensity for violence.
"As a proximate result of this negligence, (Barton) was shot and will remain paralyzed for the rest of his life," the suit states.
Johnson, the fatally injured victim, was standing outside the hotel when two groups of men got into an argument that escalated into a fight. After the fight ended, a suspect pulled out a handgun and began shooting at the victims, wounding two men in front of the hotel, according to the LAPD.
Johnson ran to the rear of the hotel through the lobby to avoid getting shot, police said. Simultaneously, Harrington allegedly ran around the hotel toward the rear and confronted Johnson and continued to fire several rounds, hitting Johnson and another victim who returned fire with his own gun.
The Los Angeles City Council earlier this month offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the 32-year-old Harrington. He is black, about 5 feet 6 to 5 feet 8 and 140 pounds with brown eyes. His hair at the time was braided in corn rows.
June 02, 2016
Sentinel News Service
Los Angeles is home to some of the most expansive diversity in the world. Despite our colorful cultural landscape, we still struggle to completely eliminate all forms of bigotry as is evidenced by recent remarks aimed at Council President Herb Wesson. While constituents have the right to freely express themselves without prosecution, this freedom should not include language that degrades and disrespects with the intention of threatening peace.
The City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission (City HRC) stands firm in its commitment to facilitate public discourse absent of hate. While we have made tremendous strides in promoting pluralistic values, there is more work to do. For every incident that attempts to dismantle peace, we will fight back with even more displays of unification, respect, and tolerance.
Los Angeles will continue to be one of the most desirable global destinations not simply because of our surface beauty. Instead, we shall maintain our attractiveness by boldly refusing to allow anyone to rob us of the harmony that fuels our "shine."