Only surviving victim of alleged Grim Sleeper testifies
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The only surviving victim of the alleged serial killer known as the "Grim Sleeper" took the stand to testify against him on Thursday.
Enietra Washington came face-to-face with Lonnie Franklin, who prosecutors said shot her in 1998, but she managed to survive.
Prosecutors said Franklin was picking up women, shooting them and dumping their bodies.
On Thursday, Washington gave a moment-by-moment account to the jury. She told them about how she first rejected Franklin's offer for a ride.
Washington said what Franklin didn't know was her passion for cars. She recounted crater rims, Pirelli tires and white diamond tucked upholstery to the jury.
Inside the car she described to the jury an odd moment, while not seeing a gun or hearing it, she realized she had been shot.
Washington said she got angry, asking, "Why did you shoot me?" She said Franklin replied, "Because you were dogging me out."
"I don't even know you," she said. "Take me to the hospital."
She warned, "If I die, I'm going to haunt you."
Washington said Franklin parked the car, and as she faded in and out of consciousness, he began sexually assaulting her. She said Franklin was kissing her and taking Polaroid pictures of her bleeding body. Washington said the car was moving again when Franklin pushed her out.
The defense attorney for Franklin questioned Washington's memory. The defense questioned Washington's account that she told detectives, such as the suspect being taller and with pock-marks different from Franklin.
But prosecutors countered by linking Franklin to Washington and 10 murdered women with DNA and ballistic evidence. A search of Franklin's home turned up a Polaroid picture of Washington, which officials said was hidden behind a garage wall.
Asked who her attacker was, Washington pointed to Franklin and said, "That's the person who shot me."
Franklin's trial is expected to last until April. If convicted, prosecutors said they will pursue the death penalty.
