Frankie A. “Frank” Zanetti, a 63-year-old male, passed away in Battle Creek, Michigan, on Friday, May 5, 2017. His life was tragically cut short in a shocking act of violence that occurred at his family's business.
On that spring day, Zanetti was at his place of work, Battle Creek Tile and Mosaic Company, a business his father had started in 1958 and that he now co-owned with his brother.
In front of stunned customers, his cousin, Brian Zanetti, walked into the Urbandale tile shop and shot Frankie in the head at point-blank range. After the shooting, Brian Zanetti fled the scene, driving back to his home in Illinois, where he was subsequently arrested.
The legal proceedings that followed took an unexpected turn. In December 2018, the murder charges against Brian Zanetti were dismissed by the Calhoun County Prosecutor. This decision was based on psychological evaluations that determined Brian Zanetti was mentally ill and not fit to stand trial. Reports from psychologists indicated that he suffered from delusions, holding a long-standing belief that his family was involved in organized crime, including murders and castrations, and that he felt he had to kill or be killed.
As a result of this finding, Brian Zanetti was committed to a mental hospital. The charges against him were not permanently dropped; rather, they could be reinstated if he is ever deemed to have regained his sanity.
