9: Princess Berthomieux
Princess Berthomieux
Princess Berthomieux, 14, was found March 19, 2002, in an alley in the 8100 block of South Van Ness Avenue in Inglewood. Cause of death: strangulation. She had been in and out of foster homes.
The ally behind 8100 South Van Ness Boulevard
Junction of 81st and Van Ness - Inglewood
23 Responses to “9: Princess Berthomieux”
December 6th, 2008 at: 9:30 pm
She was so young that she almost didn’t fit the victim type. Could she have also seen something? It seems like “he” targets 20-30 black women who are “high risk”, this 14 year old girl really isn’t the type.
December 6th, 2008 at: 9:30 pm
Although she was only 14, you can be sure that this girl looked older than that. I don’t think the killer has any actual age range in mind. He is an opportunist like most serial killers. His previous victims just happened to be mostly street girls who are generally in their 20’s or older.
December 6th, 2008 at: 9:30 pm
Don’t serial killers generally keep within the same M.O.? Why would he switch from gunshots to strangulation?
Only two suppositions come to me at the moment: As FutureFBI commented, the girl saw something she shouldn’t have, perhaps to link him with the murders, or perhaps he had made an effort to stop killing, afraid he was going to be caught…but something, perhaps a stressor, perhaps some sort of imbalance has set him back off?
Could it even be that he’s been incarcerated for a previous crime all these years unconnected to the Sleeper case and she was a ‘celebration’ of his release?
December 14th, 2008 at: 1:25 pm
Well this is the first victim since the late 80’s Jackie attack, where this woman acually saw her attacker and said he was a black male in a rust orange Pinto that also shot her once in the chest. These three things link Grim to the attack on her. I think that Grim decided to lay low and got very scared after he learnt that his target had lived. This is why I think he didn’t kill again for such a long time. D, it is very likly that Grim’s M.O. changed because of the gap between his murders. This girl was in and out of foster care which may mean that she got it pretty rough and was wandering the streets, Grim saw her and decided to attack her. He may of had a gun but because she was younger decided to try strangulation.
December 27th, 2008 at: 6:42 am
That makes sense, Nocturn. If one persumes Grim is the type of serial killer who performs his murders for a sense of empowerment the switch would also make sense.
The women were generally shot from the front and sexually assaulted. This would certainly show how ‘powerful’ he is at least in his mind. Which could also explain the change in M.O. from firearms to strangulation I imagine. After all, a 14 year old girl isn’t likely to provide much of a struggle for a grown man, so it isn’t hard to imagine that actually feeling her dying and struggling against him gave him another such thrill…made him feel powerful again.
Which might also feed into why he switches back to his M.O. with firearms.
Princess was 14, a child. The two victims immediately after her were older women, both aged 35. All three of them were death by strangulation. Perhaps it was because he expected them to be weaker specimens that he went in close for his kills? The final victim was 25, in the prime of her life and thus one would imagine much more capable of putting up a successful struggle.
After all, Grim has to be somewhere between his 40’s and his 60’s by now one would imagine. He isn’t a young man and he certainly isn’t as strong as he used to be.
January 2nd, 2009 at: 6:32 pm
I very liked this post. Can I copy it to my site?
Thanks in advance.
Sincerely, Timur Alhimenkov.
January 4th, 2009 at: 2:04 am
Sure, feel free. But I should point out I had made an error in my above post. In fact it was not three victims strangled, it was only two. I had accidentally clicked the same profile twice for the 35 year old woman.
February 26th, 2009 at: 7:15 am
“He isn’t a young man and he certainly isn’t as strong as he used to be.”
That isn’t a safe assumption at all. The youngest officer we have in our Special Weapons and Tactics team has fifteen years experience as a Law Enforcement Officer, and our SWAT team is in military-condition fitness. Several of them are in their late 40’s to early 50’s or older and are technically in better shape now than they were as starting officers in their twenties.
It’s very possible that if this individual has kept fit, he could be in better shape than most men in their twenties, especially if he has an athletic or military background.
February 26th, 2009 at: 8:21 am
Strangulation is different. It is harder and requires closer contact with the victim. Wonder if this was a sudden killng,that he did not have a gun and others premediated.
February 26th, 2009 at: 9:05 pm
Just because he’s a serial killer doesn’t mean he is necessarily stupid. Perhaps he read about ballistics linking some of the victims. If he were wearing some type of gloves, it would eliminate that and fingerprint evidence. Because there was a gap in the killings, he may have been in the pen for a while. Then they’d have both fingerprints and ballistics for his gun.
February 28th, 2009 at: 2:38 am
she knew him. She would not talk to a man of his age and his appearance…logically - she would pay him no mind otherwise - she would be hard …. life ….. she had talked to him –maybe harshly - she knew him. In 2002 - with her life wisdom he would not be able to approach her otherwise. Where did she live in relation to this crime?
March 1st, 2009 at: 5:04 am
I disagree with J. In my middle 50s I was unceremoniously approached by a homeless girl while eating lunch at a local mall food court (one would think she would never have talked to an older man “like me”). But she immediately offered sex for money. Perhaps this victim did the same because he looked prosperous and “safe” and he “took her up” on her “offer”. And then killed her. But the fact that he went back to older women says he’s not going to step out of his “comfort zone” unless approached first, and “youth” is not his trigger. 20 to 40 year olds are his comfort area, obviously–perhaps mimicing a youth trauma of some kind with an “older family member”. The “church” relationship could provide a clue–he could a midlevel administrator, perhaps, who deals mostly with adult women (and feels they “best” him in their interchanges), rather than a “youth counselor” or pastor, both of whom would deal regularly with children.
March 13th, 2009 at: 9:12 am
is there any evidence linking this vic?
March 15th, 2009 at: 10:24 am
What caliber gun was used in Janecia Peters killing? It seems like he went dormant after the failed killing and when he resurfaced in early 2000 he didn’t have a gun, resorting to strangulation on a weaker and more vulnerable person (14 year old). By reading all the given facts it’s my guess he was recently released from prison (or in and out of prison) keep in mind the 13 year gap. He was not sentenced in L.A. county. He fled the L.A. area (he felt he failed and ‘Jackie’ would identify him) and was probably arrested in another jurisdiction/county for a violent crime (back then in the 80s, there was no DNA database). Upon his release, he had to have paroled to the only place he knew, HOME. Look for continuing parole violations involving drugs and the parolee eventually in and out of prison so much they finally said time served. This guy is a drug addict/ex-drug addict, he is involved in church and uses that clean cut persona to charm his victims, has trouble interacting sexually with women brought on by insecurities and rejection. He is the quite and smooth type. He obviously feels very confertable in the L.A. area, dumping these women within the dark alleys that he so often rode his bike through when he was a child. He isn’t as slick as everyone thinks and does not go on the prowl but acts more on instinct and urge after a drug induced frenzy. He doesn’t crave the attention but is rather annoyed that he’s on the radar. He will and has changed his MO a bit but he will always slip up due to is instinctive impulses (saliva on breast, semen. etc…). I really would like to know ALOT more about Thomas Steele’s murder. I believe that is the link!!!!!
April 5th, 2009 at: 7:41 pm
It seems like since it says she was in and out of foster care that she was a prime target for prostitution. Since that seemed to be his MO, it all sorta fits together..
It’s hard to believe but there are plenty of young women out there who prostitute at a very young age such as this young lady.
Foster care is a hard place, you never have a real family. On the streets you have family, or at least that may be how she felt..
April 6th, 2009 at: 1:32 am
Doesn’t it seem like she is the same age as the time the SK took off? 13 years?
Is it possible that he knew when she was a baby? or that he is related to her somehow?
April 6th, 2009 at: 7:54 am
He is older and the guess at age might be a little off!
June 4th, 2009 at: 8:11 am
My opinion is that this young girl is the biggest lead yet. If you find out who she hung out with, who was her friend, you will find the connection to the grim sleeper. mark my words when I say the killer stays within a 6 block radius from this drop site. Maybe this girl could have been friends with his daughter or son. Since she was a runaway she could have been spending the night in his house. So he had to strangle her so tht no one would here a gun shot. That is just my opinion. Maybe the news could run another broadcast asking for information of her friends and her life leading up to the day of her murder. She is the key
June 10th, 2009 at: 3:30 am
Kate, I agree with you on the possibility that if the circumstances leading up to this victim’s death were known it may provide a lead. It must be stated, however, that this particular murder does not exactly stand out from those of the other (female) victims. Yes, this girl may only have been 14 years old but she probably looked and acted much older than that. There are many girls in their early to mid-teens who (because of how they dress and act) look much older than they really are. I’m personally convinced that if the details leading up to and surrounding the murder of the male victim (Thomas Steele) were known it COULD lead to the LAPD and FBI’s being able to crack the case. Why? The male victim was the ONLY one who was not covered with trash, dumped in an alley or otherwise hidden.
November 21st, 2009 at: 7:38 am
In the August 2009 Newsweek story, Princess’ date of death is listed as March 19, not March 9 as listed on this site. Which is the correct date?
November 21st, 2009 at: 9:56 pm
Princess Berthomieux was reported missing on December 21st 2001 but was actually discovered March 19th 2002 so Newsweek is correct. However, her death probably occurred on, or very close to, December 21st. I will alter the victim profile for Princess Berthomieux to reflect the correct date that she was discovered. Sorry for the error.
December 1st, 2009 at: 3:35 am
Isnt it weird that he did not kill from 1988 to 2002 which was 14 years, and princess was 14 years old when she was murdered. Was she a celebration of his comeback?
January 3rd, 2010 at: 2:42 am
That poor girl lived a horrible life. That’s really sad.
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