'Grim Sleeper' in court on 10 murder charges

A retired police mechanic has appeared in court in Los Angeles charged with the "Grim Sleeper" serial killings dating back 25 years.

Lonnie Franklin Jr, 57, was charged with 10 counts of murder and one of attempted murder that could make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

The killer targeted young black women, who were mostly prostitutes or living on the streets in south LA. Some victims were raped before being shot dead and dumped in alleys or bins. The killer was called the Grim Sleeper because he took a break from his crimes between 1988 and 2002.

His first victim is believed to be Debra Jackson, 29, who was killed in August 1985, and his last victim was Janecia Peters, 25, who died in January 2007. Franklin Jr is charged with their murders and that of Henrietta Wright, 35, Barbara Ware, 23, Bernita Sparks, age unknown, Mary Lowe, 26, Lachrica Jefferson, 22, Alicia Alexander, 18, Princess Berthomieux, 15, and Valerie McCorvey, 35. He is also charged with the rape and attempted murder of an unidentified woman in 1988.

Franklin Jr was arrested last week after DNA evidence proved a recently arrested young man, his son, was related to the serial killer.