In the quiet town of Muncie, Indiana, 73-year-old Bonnie L. Franks, a beloved figure known for her friendly nature and daily bicycle rides through her neighborhood, met a tragic and untimely end on Thursday, June 30, 2016. A dedicated homemaker after a few years as a legal secretary, she was a familiar and welcome sight to her neighbors, who saw her as a neighborhood mom.
She was a widow, her husband James having passed away the previous year, and a mother to a son, Richard, and a daughter, Cindy.
The circumstances of her death unfolded in a harrowing tale of domestic violence. On that Thursday morning, a distressing 911 call was made by her 42-year-old son, Richard Franks. In the call, he claimed his girlfriend, Amy Campbell, had shot his mother during a struggle over a shotgun. When police arrived at the Fleetwood Drive home, they found Bonnie Franks deceased on the floor with a shotgun nearby.
Investigators soon began to unravel a different story. Richard Franks initially tried to deflect blame, first accusing his girlfriend and later telling officers who found him a few miles from the scene that a prostitute was responsible. However, his account began to crumble under questioning. His girlfriend, Amy Campbell, told police that she and Richard had been smoking methamphetamine in the garage the night before the murder and that he had become angry when she left. After being interrogated, Richard Franks confessed to the police that he was the one who had shot his mother.
According to his confession, an argument had erupted between him and his mother. When she threatened to call his sister, he retrieved a shotgun from a bedroom, loaded it, and after she again threatened to call someone, he shot her. Friends and neighbors revealed that Richard Franks had a history of volatile behavior, with one family friend describing him as having a 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' personality. His mother, despite his violent tendencies which had reportedly worsened in the years leading up to her death, was always his protector and champion, seeing the best in him. Richard Franks was arrested and taken to the Delaware County Jail, where he was expected to be charged with murder.
