On a summer morning in Madison, Wisconsin, the life of Robert France, a 46-year-old Caucasian male from Portland, Oregon, came to a violent end. On July 19, 2014, outside the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel on the city's east side, France was shot multiple times in what police believe was a targeted attack related to drugs. The incident unfolded shortly after 9 a.m., shattering the morning's calm and leaving France dead at the scene.
Investigators quickly determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence. It is believed that Robert France had traveled to Madison with the intention of selling a significant quantity of marijuana. The transaction was set to take place in the hotel parking lot, but the deal turned deadly. Police suspected that France was targeted for either the drugs or the money involved in the illicit exchange. A white SUV with Wisconsin license plates, believed to be connected to the shooting, was later recovered by authorities on the city's east side.
The investigation into the homicide led police to a suspect, Marcius A. Lee, who was 43 years old at the time. Lee was apprehended in Chicago following the shooting. He was subsequently charged with first-degree intentional homicide in connection with Robert France's death. Witnesses reported seeing a man, later identified as Lee, walking away from France's vehicle after the shooting, carrying a black suitcase, a green duffel bag, and a gray and yellow backpack. The contents of these bags were believed to be related to the drug deal that had gone fatally wrong.
