Janecia Peters [Grim Sleeper], 25

Janecia Peters, a 25-year old black woman, was found dead Jan. 1, 2007, in the 9500 block of South Western Avenue in Los Angeles. She had been shot and covered with a garbage bag. 

A homeless man looking for cans discovered her body and called authorities, according to coroner's records and police. She was initially listed as an unknown female.

When DNA tests linked her killer to earlier slayings, then-Police Chief William J. Bratton ordered the creation of a task force to investigate a serial killer later dubbed the "Grim Sleeper," because the killer had a more than decade-long break in known slayings.

On July 7, 2010, authorities arrested Lonnie David Franklin Jr., a 57-year old black man, at his home in South Los Angeles after police said they made DNA matches linking him to Peters' killing, as well as others dating back to 1985. 

Prosecutors said they have charged Franklin with 10 counts of murder, noting that he is eligible for the death penalty. He has not been charged in the 1986 shooting death of Thomas Steele, a 36-year old black man, although authorities believe Steele's killing is connected to the other cases.

Franklin is a former city trash collector who at one time worked as a vehicle mechanic at an LAPD station, sources said.

-- Times staff reports

Map shows location of home of Lonnie David Franklin, Jr. and the locations of where the Grim Sleeper's victims were found. Click for more details.