Sarah Washington, a 25-year-old African American woman from Kankakee, Illinois, was tragically murdered on June 26, 2014. Sarah was a certified nursing assistant with aspirations of becoming a model in Chicago. On the day of her death, her mother, Kathy Gates, arrived at Sarah's apartment to drive her to work. When Sarah did not respond to calls or knocks, Kathy entered the unlocked apartment and found her daughter in the bedroom, shot twice in the head. The authorities found .380-caliber shell casings at the scene, but there were no signs of forced entry, suggesting that Sarah likely knew her killer.
Initially, the investigation focused on Sarah's on-again-off-again boyfriend, Greg Dismuke, who was known to be possessive and had a violent streak. However, there was no evidence directly linking him to the crime. Attention then shifted to Greg's friend, Rex Frank, who had visited Sarah's apartment on the morning of the murder. Rex had asked Greg for money and a gun, and later that evening, he called Greg to inform him about the police presence at Sarah's apartment. Rex's behavior raised suspicions, and further investigation revealed inconsistencies in his alibi.
A breakthrough in the case came when another murder occurred in the area. Rian Maiden, a 36-year-old man, was shot twice in the head in July 2014. The shell casings found at Rian's crime scene matched those from Sarah's murder, linking Rex Frank to both crimes. During questioning, Rex confessed to killing Rian and admitted to using Rian's ATM card to buy jewelry for a woman he was dating. This confession, along with the ballistic evidence, connected Rex to Sarah Washington's murder.
Rex Frank was subsequently arrested and charged with the murders of Sarah Washington and Rian Maiden. The investigation revealed that Rex had a history of violent behavior and had lied about his whereabouts on the day of Sarah's murder. His conviction brought some measure of justice to Sarah's family, who had been devastated by the loss of their beloved daughter. The case highlighted the importance of thorough investigative work and the need for justice for victims of violent crimes.
