In the quiet early morning hours of November 11, 2017, a grim discovery was made in the city of Ardmore, Oklahoma, shattering the peace of the community. Firefighters responding to a vehicle fire in the front yard of a residence were met with a horrific scene: inside the charred remains of the car were the bodies of a young woman and a man. The victims were later identified as 23-year-old Karlie Clearman of Ardmore and 28-year-old Justin Ray Sullivan of Midwest City. An investigation by law enforcement would soon reveal that this was no tragic accident, but a brutal double homicide.
The investigation into the deaths of Karlie, a female, and Justin quickly pointed to a single suspect: Carlton Franklin. At the time of the murders, Franklin was an inmate who had absconded from a halfway house in Oklahoma City. The narrative that emerged painted a dark picture of the events leading up to the discovery of the burning car. Authorities believe that on the night of the murders, Franklin and Sullivan, who was also an inmate at the same halfway house, left the facility without authorization. It is alleged that they met up with Karlie, and what transpired in the hours that followed culminated in the tragic deaths of both her and Sullivan. Both victims had been shot before the vehicle was intentionally set ablaze in an attempt to conceal the heinous crime.
Following the murders, Carlton Franklin embarked on a crime spree that further terrorized the region. His flight from justice was marked by a series of additional violent offenses, including armed robbery and rape, which were committed in the days following the discovery of the bodies in Ardmore. This trail of violence eventually led to his capture and subsequent charging for a litany of crimes. In connection with the deaths of Karlie Clearman and Justin Sullivan, Franklin was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
During the legal proceedings that followed, a preliminary hearing shed more light on the terrifying final moments of Karlie and Justin's lives. A witness testified to hearing gunshots outside Karlie's home following a heated argument between her and Franklin. The witness then described seeing Karlie's car engulfed in flames as an SUV was spotted leaving the scene. Despite the mounting evidence and witness testimony, Carlton Franklin maintained his innocence, denying any involvement in the murders during interviews with the media. However, the culmination of the investigation and the subsequent legal process would ultimately seek to bring justice for Karlie Clearman and Justin Sullivan, two lives violently cut short. After facing the charges in court, Carlton Franklin was convicted for his role in the deaths and the crime spree that followed, leading to a significant sentence for his crimes.
