The man dubbed as the "Grim Sleeper" for carrying out serial killings in Los Angeles more than two decades ago, was given the death sentence on Monday.

The man, whose real name is Lonnie David Franklin Jr., killed nine women and a 15-year-old girl before dumping their bodies in alleyways around Los Angeles between 1985 and 2007.

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The sentence against the 63-year-old was handed down by a jury after Franklin was convicted of the murder charges last month. The formal sentencing has been scheduled for August 10.

Prosecutors asked jurors to give Franklin the ultimate penalty before the decision was announced. One of the defense lawyers for Franklin asked jurors to sentence him to life in prison without parole arguing that it will speed the healing process for the families of the victims.

Franklin was a former city trash collector and a garage attendant for the Los Angeles police. Family members of the victims wept as the punishment was read out.

All of Franklin's killings followed a similar pattern as the women were often fatally shot or choked to death and their partially-dressed or sometimes naked bodies were dumped in alleys and trash bins. Some of the female victims were prostitutes and were using cocaine.

The victims were said to be "poor and black" and their families even complained that officials were not investigating the murders thoroughly due to their race and status in life.

Franklin was investigated after the final killing in 2007 when authorities found that DNA obtained from his son showed similarities to the genetic evidence found on some of the victims.

A detective later posed as a busboy at a pizza parlor and obtained Franklin's DNA from collected utensils and crusts after attending a birthday party. The DNA tied Franklin to the killings.

He was dubbed as the "Grim Sleeper" as the gap in the slayings was huge between the years 1988 and 2002. Also, a woman who survived Franklin's attack helped in the case. The woman, identified as Enietra Washington, described the modus operandi of Franklin. She recalled getting a lift from Franklin before being shot in the chest while she was seated in the passenger seat of Franklin's car.

Before losing consciousness, Washington said Franklin sexually assaulted her. She also remembered that there was a flash from a Polaroid camera. A photo of Washington was then retrieved behind a wall of Franklin's garage. The photos of his other victims were also recovered from his home. 

Tagsgrim sleeper, Lonnie David Franklin Jr., Death Sentence, Los Angeles, Grim Sleeper serial killer, Grim Sleeper death sentence