I think it would be cool if this website would allow donations through PayPal or other sources that then could be used to catch the killer faster. Maybe a top 3 list of things that could be done with the money could help direct spending it wisely. Top 3 list sample: #1 Hire a private investigator on the ground in LA to track down clues proposed by this website and then post. #2 hire a photoshop expert to work with the surviving victim to make a sketch of the killer's face and orange "pimped out" pinto to circulate online or by fliers/billboards/other. #3 hire a press expert to find ways to keep the case active and in the public eye so this case never gets lost in the background again. Money coming in and out would need to be clearly shown (not for profit website). Donations could be as little as $1 and be made anonymously. There are tons of arm chair detectives at home who love watching every TV show on how to catch a killer...everyone has their own clever ideas, or even I find myself saying how did the cops miss that chance to catch them then...."I would have done ___ differently". Now in a small way we could all participate. Yes the $500K reward money will shake things up, but none of that money gets spent ahead of time to help catch him faster. What if we could all make a difference? I spend money on a lottery ticket I know has no real chance to win, but is exciting just to think about it and be involved. Consider this along the same lines... Just my 2 cents... How do you feel?
The Grim Sleeper Investigation » Suggestions
Donate $$ to Catch the GS killer faster??
(25 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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THAT'S NOT A BAD IDEA AT ALL.... I'D GIVE A FEW BUCKS.
Posted 1 year ago # -
That is a good idea!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thanks Jay and devildog for the support. Following the idea that the killer lives within 1 mile (see new map) of the killings...how hard would it be to cross reference the address of that area with the DMV for pintos or like cars. Wonder what other lists could be cross referenced (like driver licence photos to show to surviving victim). Maybe donations could pay for something like this....or other ideas that anyone has...
Posted 1 year ago # -
All the cross reference would have been done by the LAPD, which means any cross referencing you can think of would already have been investigated. Nonetheless you have the right idea. And yeh the donation idea is great, id chip in. It's fair to say that all the obvious cross referencing would have been already done but if we wanted to find any clues by cross referencing then we would need a lot more info on the case to look into corners that havn't been fully exhausted. It's been 2 years since his last victim and it seems to me that it will be his last victim, before that there was never media attention and now its booming compared to nothing anyway. I believe the GS realises that he has to stop here because he knows that there are many people actively looking for him. I don't like how Christine busted the case like that, it should of been kept under wraps if the GS was ever going to be caught. But now that we do know I think that the LAPD should realease more facts than they have so communities like this one can look into the case for thierselves.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I would like to see if Surviving victim could see a cross ref. list of the current sexual offenders of LA http://www.city-data.com/so/so-Los-Angeles-California.html and then all Pinto owners for that time from DMV...then let surviving victim try to ID his photo. Note that John F. Thomas was on this list above. With Prop.69 taking a while to get DNA samples in the Database...maybe she could track him down this way. I have no faith that the LAPD did any detailed cross references. After all .... the LAPD does not even follow up on rape kits (see this aritcle) http://www.laweekly.com/2009-03-19/news/dna-deep-feeze/
Posted 1 year ago # -
The LAPD are on the hunt for a serial killer, they would have cross referenced thier arse's off.
Posted 1 year ago # -
There already is a $500,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
http://www.laweekly.com/2008-09-04/news/record-500-000-offered-for-grim-sleeper/
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thanks David for the link and reminder of the $500K reward. This of course gets paid out only after there is an arrest. I was hoping that there was some way to motivate people to get involved through donations and this website could be that spark. $500K is a very powerful motivator I agree and I hope they arrest GS and pay this out. However, I am nervous this investigation as fallen from the public eye as noted even by the drop off of posts to this website. The internet connects people and creates opportunities outside the normal channels. People who gave even a $1 two months ago may at least check in to see what is happening (to keep the story alive). It would let those who want to donate feel like they had some power from the eithernet.... again, just my 2 cents...
Posted 1 year ago # -
What we need is a email and internet campaign which will direct the public's attention to this website so we can increase the email and internet campaign etc.. etc. Then perhaps we could attempt to raise cash which can go towards methods for catching this killer.
They are called internet viral campaigns - not to be confused with spam or viruses. Viral campaigns are a good method of increasing public attention and directing it to important issues such as this.
If you (visitors to this site) have lots of email contacts in your list then perhaps you could spread the word a bit?
You are right Gator, interest hs already started to wain but I guess that is partly because there is nothing new coming out of the case. We need some fresh news to stir things up a bit.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Grim/KeyMaster: I love the idea of a viral campaign... I think that the concept of allowing anyone in the world to donate money (even $1) to help catch a criminal is news worthy and and idea worth spreading. I think anyone who gives a dollar may also be much more willing to send an email to 2 friends and that will help spread the news. I think Christine P. may be willing to write an article on your efforts to use donations to somehow speed things up... I think if you posted videos on Youtube.com, twitter, facebook, etc...that you could also spread the word. You have to tell a story and get people involved. I think if you had a top 10 list on what to do with the donations, that everyone who gave $1 could also vote (one vote per $1) thus reward those who give more. Again you have to sell the idea of giving power away from the killer and to the person donating. "if you were the cops and had a budget...what would you do to catch the most prolific serial killer west of the Mississippi? I think you could start much easier by posting a donation area front and center to the website...open the forums up to what/how the money should be spent and make it easy to email to others. If the site then spends money to make a difference you will be the "fresh news to stir things up a bit".... JustMy2Cents... GatorALLin
Posted 1 year ago # -
Amazing idea,I'll say.
I live in the South central,la area.
and yes its true about the tv shows some of us watch,law and order..and so on.least what i watch.
we all get ideas from watching them,how we would have done this differently,handled
a situation a little bit better.we need to find some great justice for the victims' families once and for all.
they have waited long enough.Posted 11 months ago # -
I get the feeling that this story is going to sleep.... no new info for a while... I hope this case does not go cold .... any ideas to keep it going? I am guessing this donation idea went dead.
I was watching another CA story www.findmitrice.info seems like they had a chance to find her, but cops dropped the ball on that one also...
Posted 10 months ago # -
The story is not going to sleep....this article was posted 9 days ago. The Task force just had a meeting at the FBI headquartes about the killer.
http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/crime/grim-sleeper-task-force-discus/
Posted 10 months ago # -
OK, thanks for the updated article link (devildog). I did send links and info to a few cool iReporters for CNN, but have not seen anything from them yet. Here was just one reporter: http://www.ireport.com/search/ireports?q=mitrice I thought maybe they could keep the story going by doing a few updates as several are in California and already report on missing persons or cases where more attention is needed.
Posted 10 months ago # -
I would be willing to donate, but where do I send the money to? I also agree with GatorAllin that there are actually many other sources which could be cross-referenced with this case, that the police will probably not have had the funds to check.
Posted 10 months ago # -
I found you can at least sign the petition (free)
Posted 9 months ago # -
Phone: (323) 221-1698
Email: info@blackcoalitionfightsback.orgPosted 9 months ago # -
Facebook is establishing itself as the purveyor of numerous digital transactions. When a Facebook friend has a birthday, users are encouraged to spend $1 on a gift, posted to their profile page for all to see.
Altruistic members, meanwhile, might ask friends to donate to their favorite charities using Facebook Causes, once again drawing users into the world of Facebook micropayments. Not to mention the millions who are already at ease buying virtual fences and barns in Zynga's hugely popular FarmVille.
It doesn't take a great deal of imagination to connect the dots: Facebook is well-positioned to be a content payment platform for the open Web. Maybe we need a Twitter and Facebook site connected here also?
here is how this website could accept donations: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donate-intro-outside
I am sure there are more options: http://www.donorperfect.com/transaction-processing/
More on the subject: http://www.ehow.com/how_2150092_use-paypal-account-accept-donations.html
Posted 9 months ago # -
Here is a site where they are trying to help find their daughter faster...collecting donations using paypal. I think this site should consider something similar. http://www.findmitrice.info/donations
Posted 9 months ago # -
I offered to put up $100 toward doing a DNA test that would give you more clues about the GS (www.23andme.com) does a $499 test that seems like it would prove interesting, so I agree $399 more is a long way off from getting the total together needed (hey you never know, the power of the internet...right?) I actually think you could get a few of these DNA testing sites to do the testing for FREE (in trade for some great publicity), but that is just my wild idea. LAPD may also have a budget for that (after all they did do a DNA test on the pastor of the Cosmopolitan church and he had been buried for a while..what did that cost??). I still think any donation effort should come from this website, but I admit it would take some work to best organize what to do with the money. Had me thinking on some creative ideas how to get folks to donate more/faster... If the website found the killer due to the efforts and then got the reward money..then each person who donated should get a percentage (almost sounds like the Mel Fisher, lost treasure concept). I actually think the reward money should be split evenly between the 11 victim's families with at least 2 shares going to the surviving victim (just my 2 cents). I almost put up a new thread on just the reward money. BTW..is it $50K per victim x 11 = $550K? But when I read the fine print, it seems to limit the total reward to 200K unless there is more than 1 killer (I guess a family member could be helping out or something, but in summary a 200K seems to be it as the DNA points to one person, IMHO). Interesting they quote 500K, and even some that show 550K, but it is good for getting the word out, so I won't complain.
Anyhow.. I saw an article about how much people pay playing the lottery...$5 per week is nothing of course, but over a year that adds up to $250/year. Fine if you have the bills paid and it is just pure entertainment. I heard your odds of winning the powerball is 195,000,000 to 1 so a bit of a math tax if you ask me. Anyhow, the point of this long rant is that a Credit Union got this crazy idea to get folks to save more money with this concept that playing the lotto was a waste of money. You simply add $10 per week to your savings account and for every $10 you add in you get 1 chance to win $10,000 prize. I forget how often they do the drawing (maybe done once at the end of the year for example). Obviously the more you put in the more chances you get...one person gets lucky. The theme is when you don't win you still own your own money, so risk is way down and value is way up. Anyhow the idea that IF by some crazy chance this website did raise money..and did catch the killer and did get the reward money...then a bit like buying a lotto ticket with the idea of making a difference...(Hey, if you win and you want to still give your winnings to the victims families...why not? What would you vote to do?). OK a big leap from this particular example, but you get the basic idea....(what is saving 1 life worth to you?) OK, I admit most would not donate just to win the reward money...but City Council sure is betting someone will turn in their brother for the money...right?
I believe it could actually help raise money to do something special and go form cool website to taking some real action. Again..just a crazy idea...that and $6 gets you some coffee these days.
Say you give $1 and the site gets a total of $1,900. Say somehow the site catches the killer due to a DNA test that leads to a new clue and they give the reward out of 200K. Your $1 donation = $105 share (1/1,900 x 200K). Again, just a crazy idea that just might work.
Grim..you said above "What we need is a email and internet campaign which will direct the public's attention to this website so we can increase the email and internet campaign etc.. etc. Then perhaps we could attempt to raise cash which can go towards methods for catching this killer"....
In my humble opinion....if done right this could be that thing that spreads the idea (you need a simple way to vote on what to do with the money even if you don't donate (no real control of the money in that case, but a fun email with vote attached to it), if you do donate you get one real vote per $1. If you get the reward money, then each $1 gets an equal share, and again you could also vote what to do with the reward money (maybe Christine from LaWeekly gets a share for opening up the case?).
I know...a hundred reasons not to do it..."what are the legal issues". Who cares just do it... Picture the 10 guys at work who pitch in for the lotto and win, they do that on a handshake and blind trust..Honestly who cares about the reward money, its just the excuse to get people talking about what would you do? you have my trust just by doing this awesome website for all the right reasons.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Had to revisit this posting about the DMV search for the pinto from a 1 mile search radius from the body drop zone... and why we could not raise money to make something happen a year ago... Just glad they got him... Here is my post from another area of the site...put it here just because it seems like cops could have investigated this clue better...
So...Back to the orange pinto... Likely registered and in use up to the date of the surviving victim (known to be used in at least 3 of the GS victims). Can't they track from a half mile diameter from the center of the body dump zone? Then look for any pinto drivers that fail to keep it registered...or even ones that still have one? Even if registered in the wife's name, address should be at his same house location. HOW MANY PINTOS IN THE KILL ZONE COULD THERE BE??? Rumor at the moment is that he may still have the pinto!! This 3,000 lb bright orange clue seems to be at the center of the case from the beginning...and I quote the CNN article "The only description Kilcoyne has is maddeningly vague. It comes from the killer's only surviving victim, who said her attacker was a black man driving a rust-colored Pinto.". Wow they have a surviving victim and all these details and say it is "maddeningly vague". I guess the same thinking goes into having an eye whiteness sketch and releasing it 20 years later. Or posting up the billboard and not putting the sketch pictures on it at first. Or not having the cops interview the families involved once they knew they had a serial killer case. If I was one of the families who lost a daughter AFTER they knew they had a serial killer, but failed to catch him due to all these errors I would be so upset with them. Show me the DMV search they did (ever!) and why they missed this clue101. WTF???
Posted 2 months ago # -
will be interesting to see his Drivers Licence photo and cross reference of Pinto DMV search of Pintos registered within 1 mile of body dump zone...was this EVER shown to surviving victim??
Posted 2 months ago # -
...so..I found my comments posted with the original LA Weekly article that started it all...
http://www.laweekly.com/2009-03-12/news/grim-sleeper-39-s-sole-survivor/#comments
Had to post them here:
GatorALLin 04/10/2009 8:37:47 AM
Love your article and what you have done for this case!!! Surviving Victim is amazing person and was able to see her video posted on America's Most Wanted. I think she has the most powerful clues to help solve this case Today and so crazy that the police did not work with her more to solve this case already. Here are some questions... #1 Was a sketch artist used to create a picture of the Grim Sleeper (GS) then, if so where is that drawing, why would police release the 911 call and not this drawing? If not, can the survivor make a drawing up now? #2 The Orange "hot wheels" Ford Pinto with white racing stripes and custom all white interior with diamond pattern and custom ping pong ball shifter is like a 1,500 lb glowing orange fingerprint to me!!! Get the victim #9 to help make a sketch of that car (inside and out) and post that with the face sketch, then post it Next to the 110, 10, 405, 105 highway on a bilboard with $500K reward notice (and post on 1,000 large wanted posters in 5 mile radius of kill zone). I am a "car guy" and this car says a lot about the killer...3 victims were known to have been in this car...and interesting killer used the car to disarm his victims, or gain trust. I think white custom interior is important..remember he shot her in the car, with lots of blood in all white interior... Maybe that is part of how the car got the custom interior in the first place (previous bloody victim). Driver would not borrow a car like this to shoot his victims in, so this is his car and he will likely own a garage to work on it (clean it). He felt safe in this car..this car was a tool he used to attract and hunt for victims. White custom interior says, safe..says money..says class/style..says this "guy might have some sense about him"...disarms. Did victim say anything about GS hands...if he worked on cars they would be rough..he sounded well dressed, having money. #3 Track down 1 or more members of the church with blue van...Get that picture/sketch of the orange pinto and face sketch to EVERY member to ID or jog their memories..somone in that church remembers that car and knows that Killer! Van parked over the parking stop, or left in a big rush! He is a local, he grew up in that area, killer dumped that body with the van (911 caller just a local, that was it) He had a key or family member or friend with a key to that van!! Orange Hot wheels car is Major Clue...I remember custom cars from 1987...Also car could have been an AMX or similar car and maybe not a pinto...(Car buff needs to spend some time working with victim #9 to really create an accurate desc. of that car! Maybe DMV search was only on Pinto and was car of another make or not orignal color, thus the orange, or rust or red comments about car...? maybe why DMV search missed it!) Was stripes on Hood or on sides...or both?? video said sides, LA article you wrote was on hood, maybe both...either way this car was "pimped out" and someone remembers that car!...Note I went on flicker and photobucket and ebay and google images and got tons of pictures of pintos and AMX cars..NONE have an all white interior with diamond pattern! #4 Did cops check out body shops, or custom car shops in the area...there can't be too many in close range to the kill zone. Did victim record how long drive from pick up spot to Uncle's house took? I bet he did not intend to kill that night..had to get gun or supplies..from Uncle's house...I would try a ride along with victim to see radius this (GS) hosue could have been (drive over freeway, over railroad tracks..any other clues? 1min, 10min?)..did that house have a garage if so maybe that could have been his house or he lived close by. He left her in car for 10 min? seems long..if I had a gun left in the car and possible victim in car..I would not have left her that long..Maybe had fight inside with someone..maybe got gun there and why he could leave her there so long? Also note he knew she was not the prostitue he accused her of being when he first started talking to her, but later just switched into 2nd personality (once he had the gun and had control). He shot her without any warning, she was bigger than him, but did push her to snap back at him to justify his anger...then tried to rape once she was shot/helpless (did not shoot to kill)..took pictures..then beat her and pushed out of the car. I wonder if he let her go, or thought she would die like Male victim did? Was he out of bullets, why beat her in head before pushing her out? I think he shot male victim in head to avoid any struggle, but shot women in chest as they would have problems breathing...slow death, part of control/power thing. Later moved to 14 year old and strangled..so he had power. Shot one recent victim in back..maybe she was getting away? Also changed MO after 13 yrs and once DNA link was made, then went back to gun (why not get a new gun after all these years..knowing this is linked?, does he want credit for killing..or not care..or That gun is somehow important..safe/quiet/small or has meaning/power?). I bet lots of close calls to getting caught..and so not getting caught ..wonder if he thinks he is doing Gods will or gods work?. Wonder if AIDS napkin was to justify killings...I noticed on a post that the AIDS victim did not have AIDS... maybe she said she did to killer so she was not raped..or maybe killer had family member or friend die from AIDS? Wonder if killer was part of local gang scene and not just the geeky/prepy made out to me...this nice guy look was just to build trust with girls...? No way this killer could go 13 years without killing, unless in jail..I can see 2-4 years after victim #9 survived..maybe got real careful afterwards, note MO change on #10, #11...I bet they will track 8+ new bodies to him once caught. #5 What was name of well known prostitute that victim #9 was accused of being? She obviously knew the killer well and could ID the car/sketch if still alive. If she is dead, was it from the killer...why not? Would any friends or family still be alive to ID the car/sketch from? I bet that car is either long gone, or heavily modified so as not to be familiar now..BUT someone still would remember that exact car and basic description of the killer from Victim#9!! OK, they have $500K in reward money up for grabs..why not take $50K and use now that to better advertise to catch this killer? Maybe your next article could be with that focus (submit your ideas for how to best catch this guy..how would you spend $50K or 10% to catch GS faster??). Internet is the thing connecting us all...make a website to receive donations to catch this guy would get the $50K (maybe start with www.thegrimsleeper.com website and hook in America's most wanted, and CNN for donations). Maybe you and cops are on to something much bigger here...maybe all big cases should be opened up to public to help slove....? Tons of murder mystery shows now...maybe the website that works 24/7 is the next level... lets anyone donate to help catch a killer and participate at least in that small way....? Your LA article has done something special here...why stop here...??Posted 2 months ago # -
Bam! …just found this article… 7-9-2010
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2012312704_grimsleeper09.html“No one appears to have noticed that for years he drove a dated, bright orange Pinto with red racing stripes, the same car that was once described as the killer’s car by the one victim who was known to have escaped from the killer.
The victim who survived also told police the killer had taken a photograph of her after he’d sexually assaulted her. One friend, Albert Shelby, 63, recalled Thursday that he was riding with Franklin one day when Franklin popped open the glove compartment and pulled out a stack of photographs of naked women.”
…so the LAPD never did a good DMV search for the pinto?? They could have taken drivers licence photos on file of registered owners and showed them to the Surviving Victim….? (I did hear of 2 pintos they went to look at in the early days of the case, but how did they still miss this??) Pinto here was reported as a red stripe {Not white} so he could have painted that quickly to change the look just enough.
Wow…I hope they report more about the pinto…. This seems to be a Serious clue from the beginning!!!!!!!!!!
Posted 2 months ago #
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