By Scott Johnson
sjohnson3@gannett.com
A jury has convicted a Montgomery man of murder in the March 2008 shooting death of his girlfriend.
Prosecutors said Derrick Franklin shot Elizabeth Frazier, 27, six times then left her to die as her 16-month-old son sat in a pool of her blood.
Franklin, now 30, pleaded not guilty, but no witnesses took the stand for the defense, Deputy District Attorney John Kachelman said.
Franklin faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole because of prior offenses. His prior convictions in cluded discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling and robbery, court records show.
Kachelman said the propensity for gun violence reflected in Franklin's record demonstrates his danger to society.
"These are the kinds of guys we need to make sure are off our streets," he said.
The jury returned the verdict Tuesday afternoon after about 45 minutes of deliberations.
Neighbors on both sides of Frazier's Gibbs Village apartment testified that Franklin had been at Frazier's apartment loudly arguing with her most of day.
Neighbors said that during the evening they heard struggling and glass breaking and then heard the gunshots.
Three of the six gunshots Frazier suffered could be considered fatal, medical experts testified.
One gunshot severed the femoral artery in her right leg while another went through her left arm and pierced her lung.
Neighbors testified that they saw Franklin running from the apartment, according to court documents.
A neighbor called 911 before the gunshots were fired when Franklin screamed for someone to call the police. Police officers heard the gunshots as they arrived at the apartments, according to testimony.
A police officer gave chase but lost sight of Franklin, who turned himself in the next day.
A guilty plea would not have helped Franklin's chances of avoiding life in prison, Kachelman said.
"I'm not cutting a deal with this type of guy," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment