A 28-year-old Black/African American man named Justin Ray Sullivan was found dead on November 11, 2017, in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Emergency responders discovered his body, along with the body of 23-year-old Karlie Clearman, inside a burning vehicle in the early morning hours. An investigation revealed that both Sullivan and Clearman had been shot prior to the car being set ablaze.
At the time of his death, Sullivan was an inmate at a halfway house in Oklahoma City.
The events leading to the discovery began the night before, on November 10, 2017. Sullivan and another inmate, Carlton Franklin, left the halfway house without permission and went to a couple of nearby clubs. Later that evening, Franklin arranged for Karlie Clearman to meet them, and the three spent time driving around the city. The night took a fatal turn, leading to the deaths of both Sullivan and Clearman in Ardmore.
Carlton Franklin, the fellow inmate who had left the halfway house with Sullivan, was identified as the primary suspect in the double homicide. After the killings, Franklin briefly returned to the halfway house before leaving again and embarking on an alleged crime spree that included charges of rape and armed robbery. Investigators learned of an argument between Franklin and Clearman, followed by the sound of gunshots, and a witness seeing Clearman’s car on fire as an SUV drove away from the scene.
Franklin was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Justin Sullivan and Karlie Clearman. During a jailhouse interview, he denied any involvement in the murders. However, he was brought before a preliminary hearing in January 2019 where witness testimony was presented. The tragic deaths also exposed significant security failures at the halfway house, which ultimately resulted in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections terminating its contract with the facility.
