Welcome--I'm really glad that you started a thread on this very important case. I'm in Southern Oregon and while the crime occurred before we moved to the state, I still think it is unsolved. I came upon the details while researching improprieties in the Oregon Youth Authority system with the help of Crime Victims United. It resurfaced for me a few weeks ago when Nancy Bergeson was murdered in her home. I, for one, would like to know what is going on. I will be reading with interest.
OR OR - DOC chief James 'Michael' Francke, 42, Salem, 17 Jan 1989
- Thread starter FreeFrankGable
- Start date
A question--How would you like us to address you? I understand your choice of moniker, but it's a little long-ish to use in an address. Does "Free" work...or any other ideas? I would love to develop a PM relationship with you at some point so we could compare some notes concerning the possible tie-ins and cross-overs with two cases involving our family and the Francke murder.
Can you also give us a short overview of your relationship or lack thereof with the other WS member involved in this case. No one wants to step on toes or hurt feelings. I think you'll be very impressed with the level of compassion and civility here.
Can you also give us a short overview of your relationship or lack thereof with the other WS member involved in this case. No one wants to step on toes or hurt feelings. I think you'll be very impressed with the level of compassion and civility here.
FreeFrankGable
New Member
Compassion and civility would be a welcomed change from what I've experienced over the years Missizzy. I pray that is the case, and I'm not known to be a praying man, although I've been working on my spirituality issues.
My name is Rob Taylor, so "Rob" works for me. Pleasure to make your acquaintence.
As for the other WS member that you mentioned who is involved in the case...I'm assuming you're talking about Kevin Francke who posted in the Bergeson thread saying my website was probably the most comprehensive archive of Francke related material. Kevin is the youngest brother of murdered corrections director Michael Francke.
I became good friends with Kevin and his family during the first year I involved myself in the case. Some peculiarities, unwarranted attacks on me by some, and our egos I suppose have created some animosity between us in recent years. To explain further would make it a long story and you asked for a short one.
My desire here is to generate discussion on this horrible injustice with the hope of catching the attention of national media who may be looking for a story, or even possibly generate new leads. I'm a believer that new leads can come from the unlikliest of places.
I would assume Kevin's intentions are similar as he offered to avail himself to "anyone who has spent some hours researching the case." Apparently my five years of research doesn't count, and therein lies another mystery of which I've only scratched the surface.
My name is Rob Taylor, so "Rob" works for me. Pleasure to make your acquaintence.
As for the other WS member that you mentioned who is involved in the case...I'm assuming you're talking about Kevin Francke who posted in the Bergeson thread saying my website was probably the most comprehensive archive of Francke related material. Kevin is the youngest brother of murdered corrections director Michael Francke.
I became good friends with Kevin and his family during the first year I involved myself in the case. Some peculiarities, unwarranted attacks on me by some, and our egos I suppose have created some animosity between us in recent years. To explain further would make it a long story and you asked for a short one.
My desire here is to generate discussion on this horrible injustice with the hope of catching the attention of national media who may be looking for a story, or even possibly generate new leads. I'm a believer that new leads can come from the unlikliest of places.
I would assume Kevin's intentions are similar as he offered to avail himself to "anyone who has spent some hours researching the case." Apparently my five years of research doesn't count, and therein lies another mystery of which I've only scratched the surface.
FreeFrankGable
New Member
This man was seen inside the Dome Building 1 1/2 hours after the door had been locked. A corrections employee, Jan Curry, got a good look at him, actually bumping into him, but thought nothing of him being there due to his business-like appearance. She said he was walking from the direction of Michael Francke's office, and toward the direction of the Parole Board offices.
He had never been seen before, and hasn't been seen since. He was described as:
Late 20's, early 30's, 5'10, slender build, dark hair and eyes, well-groomed and very nice looking with his hair neatly trimmed and combed to the side, sporting a neatly trimmed moustache. Smooth, olive-skinned complexion; could be Mediterranean or Hispanic. Navy-blue or black pinstriped suit with a white shirt and tie.
Keep in mind....It's been over 20 years, so the Man in the Pin-Striped Suit is probably approaching 50 now, and has probably changed in his appearance.
The Copy Machine Repairman
The Oregon State Police tried to say the MIPS was a copier repairman named Dennis Plante, who allegedly was there fixing a copier. A corrections employee, Meg Hanson, who saw and spoke to the copy machine repairman disputes that and says the MIPS and Plante are not the same man, although the composite of the MIPS fits the description "EXACTLY" of the man she saw working on the copy machine. She should know. It was her description the composite artist worked with along with Jan Curry.
Plante was said to be wearing a brown, tweed-like sports jacket, and the man the corrections employee saw working on the copy machine says he wasn't wearing anything close to that! Matter of fact, the corrections employee was never even shown a picture of Plante to assist in validating Plante's assertion he was at the Dome Building that day, nor was she ever called to testify about what she knew of the MIPS. Ironically, the copy machine was left in pieces the night of the murder, and no-one ever returned to finish the job!
An additional call had to be made to get somebody over to complete the job, and Plante wasn't the guy who showed up! Eventually the State Police eliminated Plante as a possibility of being the Man in the Pin-Striped Suit, and nothing else was followed up on concerning the discrepancy between these two men.
Who is he, and why was he there? Why hasn't he come forward? We may never know. I'm sure he holds the answers to quite a few questions.
Please go to the MIPS PAGE of my website to read Meg Hanson's statement she provided to me. I'm sure you'll find it most interesting.
FreeFrankGable
New Member
Looks like it's quite obvious I assumed wrong on Kevin's intentions.
FreeFrankGable
New Member
Jan. 17 will mark 21 years that Michael Francke was assassinated. Follow me daily as I chronicle the days leading up to his murder and the days following.
Jan. 11, 1988 - Bingta Francke leaves her husband, take’s the couple’s infant son and goes to live with her mother in Fresno, CA. Relations between the couple were strained to the point that Michael Francke told friends that he didn’t think that the marriage would last.
Jan. 12, 1988 - Asst. Attorney General Scott McAlister leaves Oregon for a job as the inspector general for the Utah Department of Corrections. He tells Attorney General Dave Frohnmayer that he hopes to return and work for him again in a few years. On McAlister’s recommendation, Whitley, who resigned his job in Nevada, also is hired by the Utah Corrections Department. McAlister will be back in Salem when Francke's body is discovered and will be interviewed by the NY Times.
Jan. 11, 1988 - Bingta Francke leaves her husband, take’s the couple’s infant son and goes to live with her mother in Fresno, CA. Relations between the couple were strained to the point that Michael Francke told friends that he didn’t think that the marriage would last.
Jan. 12, 1988 - Asst. Attorney General Scott McAlister leaves Oregon for a job as the inspector general for the Utah Department of Corrections. He tells Attorney General Dave Frohnmayer that he hopes to return and work for him again in a few years. On McAlister’s recommendation, Whitley, who resigned his job in Nevada, also is hired by the Utah Corrections Department. McAlister will be back in Salem when Francke's body is discovered and will be interviewed by the NY Times.
FreeFrankGable
New Member
THE fMRI FIASCO
Once upon a time Frank Gable wrote to tell me he was waiting to hear back from Kevin Francke on the cost of having himself and other witnesses tested using a new lie detector technology...the fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging).
Knowing how Kevin is prone to put off till tomorrow what he can do today, I immediately placed a call to the President of the Cephos Corporation who are one of two companies who perform the test. After personally speaking with Dr. Steven Laken about Frank's case, I was assured that Cephos would perform testing on any and all witnesses in Frank's case for free. Dr. Laken had never heard from Kevin Francke. Most likely because Kevin had talked himself out of the usefullness of such a procedure. Observe Kevin's email response to me accusing him of such...
Rob,
I am not talking myself out of the MRI poly. I am giving you and Frank a wake-up that this may not happen because it is not proven to be 100%. Early dna testing, back in 1989, was not allowed in many courts, including Oregon, because it was only 1 in 500,000 up to 1,000,000. U.S. was way behind the curve on dna. Regardless, if he wants to subject the prior witnesses who recanted, it's gonna' be a load getting Walker, Shorty et al in the tube to do it. Reality check here. Hello?
You make the call, I did.
So, we jump ahead to February of 2009 when Frank's fed appeals lawyer, Nell Brown, flies to my home in Des Moines, Iowa for a visit. Ok, so Shorty Harden was visiting me then as well and we all discussed having Shorty take the fMRI test.
Apparently Nell Brown didn't view the test the way Kevin did, and was interested in having Shorty tested. However, Ms. Brown and her investigator, Wendy Kunkel, flew back to Portland and Shorty and I never heard back from either.
Jump ahead to late November of 2009 and Shorty calls me to ask if Frank's lawyer still wants him to take the test. Shorty explains that he's homeless and living in a Portland shelter with his daughter who will be turning 18 in a couple of weeks at which point him and his daughter will have to leave the shelter. The shelter was working toward securing permanent housing for Shorty as well as classes to get him certified as a welder. That didn't happen and Shorty and his daughter ended up having to leave the shelter.
I notified Nell Brown of Shorty's desire to be tested and of his homeless situation and put her in contact with Shorty. Ms. Brown then notified me that she had talked with Shorty and that preparations would be made to fly Shorty to Massachussettes for testing, but that everything would have to be postponed as she was preparing to fly to Egypt on a two week vacation. Once she returned she would submit a request to her supervisor for federal funds to pay for the flight to Massachussettes and any other related expenses.
Upon her return I had Shorty contact her again to explain he had to leave the shelter and had no place to go. She scheduled a lunch meeting with him, but broke it saying she was busy with other matters.
Now we arrive at January where late last week I get an email from Nell and her investigator Wendy asking if I can once again put them in contact with Shorty as they have completed their preparations and have the testing scheduled for this week. Well that's all fine and dandy, but maybe they should've taken the necessary steps to insure their witness would be available before they jumped all the hoops they did in making preparations rather than depend on me to do it from halfway across the country. Not to mention I'm the guy they asked to back off from the witnesses last February.
Once upon a time Frank Gable wrote to tell me he was waiting to hear back from Kevin Francke on the cost of having himself and other witnesses tested using a new lie detector technology...the fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging).
Knowing how Kevin is prone to put off till tomorrow what he can do today, I immediately placed a call to the President of the Cephos Corporation who are one of two companies who perform the test. After personally speaking with Dr. Steven Laken about Frank's case, I was assured that Cephos would perform testing on any and all witnesses in Frank's case for free. Dr. Laken had never heard from Kevin Francke. Most likely because Kevin had talked himself out of the usefullness of such a procedure. Observe Kevin's email response to me accusing him of such...
Rob,
I am not talking myself out of the MRI poly. I am giving you and Frank a wake-up that this may not happen because it is not proven to be 100%. Early dna testing, back in 1989, was not allowed in many courts, including Oregon, because it was only 1 in 500,000 up to 1,000,000. U.S. was way behind the curve on dna. Regardless, if he wants to subject the prior witnesses who recanted, it's gonna' be a load getting Walker, Shorty et al in the tube to do it. Reality check here. Hello?
You make the call, I did.
So, we jump ahead to February of 2009 when Frank's fed appeals lawyer, Nell Brown, flies to my home in Des Moines, Iowa for a visit. Ok, so Shorty Harden was visiting me then as well and we all discussed having Shorty take the fMRI test.
Apparently Nell Brown didn't view the test the way Kevin did, and was interested in having Shorty tested. However, Ms. Brown and her investigator, Wendy Kunkel, flew back to Portland and Shorty and I never heard back from either.
Jump ahead to late November of 2009 and Shorty calls me to ask if Frank's lawyer still wants him to take the test. Shorty explains that he's homeless and living in a Portland shelter with his daughter who will be turning 18 in a couple of weeks at which point him and his daughter will have to leave the shelter. The shelter was working toward securing permanent housing for Shorty as well as classes to get him certified as a welder. That didn't happen and Shorty and his daughter ended up having to leave the shelter.
I notified Nell Brown of Shorty's desire to be tested and of his homeless situation and put her in contact with Shorty. Ms. Brown then notified me that she had talked with Shorty and that preparations would be made to fly Shorty to Massachussettes for testing, but that everything would have to be postponed as she was preparing to fly to Egypt on a two week vacation. Once she returned she would submit a request to her supervisor for federal funds to pay for the flight to Massachussettes and any other related expenses.
Upon her return I had Shorty contact her again to explain he had to leave the shelter and had no place to go. She scheduled a lunch meeting with him, but broke it saying she was busy with other matters.
Now we arrive at January where late last week I get an email from Nell and her investigator Wendy asking if I can once again put them in contact with Shorty as they have completed their preparations and have the testing scheduled for this week. Well that's all fine and dandy, but maybe they should've taken the necessary steps to insure their witness would be available before they jumped all the hoops they did in making preparations rather than depend on me to do it from halfway across the country. Not to mention I'm the guy they asked to back off from the witnesses last February.
Indianagirl
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Does Kevin believe Frank committed this crime? I'm a little confused on the importance of Kevin taking a poly? I've looked over you website a little bit but intend to research this case further. Also, do you believe Crouse is the perp? Thanks and welcome to WS!
FreeFrankGable
New Member
Kevin has been paraded by the media over the years as being the chief proponent in proclaiming Frank's innocence and that his brother's murder was an assassination orchestrated by corrupt corrections officials in order to silence him before he blew the whistle on their wrongdoings.
I wasn't talking about Kevin taking a poly. In fact I wasn't talking about a poly at all. I was talking about an fMRI lie detector test. (fMRI)Functional MRI or functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a type of specialized MRI scan. It measures the hemodynamic response (change in blood flow) related to neural activity in the brain or spinal cord of humans or other animals. It is one of the most recently developed forms of neuroimaging, and something Frank Gable's lawyer is interested in pursuing with Shorty Harden, the state's only alleged eyewitness who has recanted and claimed he lied at trial due to police coercion tactics.
The Cephos Corporation is one of two companies who perform the test. From the Cephos website...Our scientists, investigators and employees are committed to offering forensic and investigative tools to aid in uncovering the truth. We use the latest advances in DNA analysis, private investigations and brain-based lie detection to obtain the science behind the truth. Cephos employs experienced professionals who are recognized as experts in their respective fields and are available to testify in court. We have developed the latest, most scientifically advanced, brain imaging techniques for scientifically accurate lie detection. The methods have been featured in international print, national television shows and we have been awarded U.S. patents based on our technology. The array of services we offer allows the most innovative approaches to uncover the truth. That's why law firms, corporations, and individuals turn to Cephos for professional, responsible, and dedicated services.
I think Crouse may have been involved somehow.
I wasn't talking about Kevin taking a poly. In fact I wasn't talking about a poly at all. I was talking about an fMRI lie detector test. (fMRI)Functional MRI or functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a type of specialized MRI scan. It measures the hemodynamic response (change in blood flow) related to neural activity in the brain or spinal cord of humans or other animals. It is one of the most recently developed forms of neuroimaging, and something Frank Gable's lawyer is interested in pursuing with Shorty Harden, the state's only alleged eyewitness who has recanted and claimed he lied at trial due to police coercion tactics.
The Cephos Corporation is one of two companies who perform the test. From the Cephos website...Our scientists, investigators and employees are committed to offering forensic and investigative tools to aid in uncovering the truth. We use the latest advances in DNA analysis, private investigations and brain-based lie detection to obtain the science behind the truth. Cephos employs experienced professionals who are recognized as experts in their respective fields and are available to testify in court. We have developed the latest, most scientifically advanced, brain imaging techniques for scientifically accurate lie detection. The methods have been featured in international print, national television shows and we have been awarded U.S. patents based on our technology. The array of services we offer allows the most innovative approaches to uncover the truth. That's why law firms, corporations, and individuals turn to Cephos for professional, responsible, and dedicated services.
I think Crouse may have been involved somehow.
FreeFrankGable
New Member
Jan. 13, 1988 - Francke reportedly tells his sister-in-law, Katie Francke, that he had “stepped on some toes” and uncovered criminal activities within his department.
She says drug trafficking was one of the issues he discussed.
Michael Francke tells her that he plans to go to the legislature Jan. 18 to “clean house.”
Who knows if any of this is true, other than the Franckes' of course. Katie was married to Kevin Francke, Michael's younger brother, and she has since passed away. Personally, I've seen far too many lies and contradictions coming from the Franckes' to afford them much credibility.
Michael Francke was scheduled to go to the legislature regarding departmental issues. Whether or not he actually planned to use that opportunity to "clean house" is a theory perpetuated solely by Michael's family.
She says drug trafficking was one of the issues he discussed.
Michael Francke tells her that he plans to go to the legislature Jan. 18 to “clean house.”
Who knows if any of this is true, other than the Franckes' of course. Katie was married to Kevin Francke, Michael's younger brother, and she has since passed away. Personally, I've seen far too many lies and contradictions coming from the Franckes' to afford them much credibility.
Michael Francke was scheduled to go to the legislature regarding departmental issues. Whether or not he actually planned to use that opportunity to "clean house" is a theory perpetuated solely by Michael's family.
Angels_Not_Forgotten
Anxiously Awaiting a WINNING NFL Season!
HI, I looked at the website and must say it is impressive. there's so much information i feel like i'm on over load so if i ask a really dumb question that's obvious i'm sorry, it was late as i was reading 
I remember reading in a few places that Frank was quoted as saying something to the effect of only me and God know who killed him. Has this been established as something Frank actually said and if so, has he ever said WHO killed MIchael Francke?
And I have to ask, is a lot of stock put into what the young lady Swearingen said? I only ask because it seems like every time you turned around she had a different story...Just doesn't seem credible in the least. Actually NONE of the people who were quoted said much that did make sense.
I remember reading in a few places that Frank was quoted as saying something to the effect of only me and God know who killed him. Has this been established as something Frank actually said and if so, has he ever said WHO killed MIchael Francke?
And I have to ask, is a lot of stock put into what the young lady Swearingen said? I only ask because it seems like every time you turned around she had a different story...Just doesn't seem credible in the least. Actually NONE of the people who were quoted said much that did make sense.
FreeFrankGable
New Member
Yes, Frank said that. A great example of how his own mouth helped to convict him. I've asked Frank about that statement and he said what he meant to say was that only God knows who really killed Francke and that only God and Frank know that he didn't kill Francke.
Frank was uneducated back then...an eighth grade education I believe if I remember correctly. His use of the english language reflected such many times. He has educated himself in reading and writing quite well in the twenty years he's been in prison.
Frank says he doesn't know who killed Francke. He's gone back and forth many times on the possibility of Tim Natividad being the killer, proclaiming in an interview with the Oregonian in 2005 that he didn't buy Kevin Francke and Phil Stanford's assertion that Natividad was the killer. Frank said it was to difficult to believe they would hire some meth dealer to do the hit. Now he's back on the Natividad bandwagon in large part due to constitutionality issues regarding third-party defense arguments his lawyers were not allowed to pursue at trial. Again, his mouth will be used against him at appeal with his back and forth stance on the matter.
You've got Jodie pegged right on the money. I mean that literally. Jodie admitted to me a few months ago that she played Kevin Francke like a fiddle, basically telling him what he wanted to hear over the years in order to hustle money out of him. I've got the email to prove it, and I've endured similar attempts by her to hustle me the same way in the past couple of years.
The bigger mystery concerning Jodie is why Kevin Francke befriended her and helped her out so much financially for a period of time spanning more than a decade when she wasn't providing anything useful to the case. Not to mention Jodie believes Tim Natividad was killed by a guy named Vince Taylor, not Natividad's girlfriend Elizabeth Godlove who was acquitted for the murder a mere four months later with a domestic violence defense apparently substantiated by Liz's testimony and that of a few others who testified Natividad had threatened people with a knife before.
A theory on that came about awhile back when someone alleged that Liz may have been forced to fire the final shot into Natividad so her hand would have evidence that she fired the gun and because she was going to be forced to take the rap for the murder. Yeah, I know, not another conspiracy theory, but Natividad's murder just two weeks after Francke's has always seemed coincidental and I don't believe much in coincidence.
Then you have the fact that Kevin Francke dumped his wife Katie in Florida and ended up marrying Liz. Weird. Great way to establish credibility while investigating your brother's murder by hooking up with a meth head who allegedly killed the guy you think killed your brother.
So much more...
Frank was uneducated back then...an eighth grade education I believe if I remember correctly. His use of the english language reflected such many times. He has educated himself in reading and writing quite well in the twenty years he's been in prison.
Frank says he doesn't know who killed Francke. He's gone back and forth many times on the possibility of Tim Natividad being the killer, proclaiming in an interview with the Oregonian in 2005 that he didn't buy Kevin Francke and Phil Stanford's assertion that Natividad was the killer. Frank said it was to difficult to believe they would hire some meth dealer to do the hit. Now he's back on the Natividad bandwagon in large part due to constitutionality issues regarding third-party defense arguments his lawyers were not allowed to pursue at trial. Again, his mouth will be used against him at appeal with his back and forth stance on the matter.
You've got Jodie pegged right on the money. I mean that literally. Jodie admitted to me a few months ago that she played Kevin Francke like a fiddle, basically telling him what he wanted to hear over the years in order to hustle money out of him. I've got the email to prove it, and I've endured similar attempts by her to hustle me the same way in the past couple of years.
The bigger mystery concerning Jodie is why Kevin Francke befriended her and helped her out so much financially for a period of time spanning more than a decade when she wasn't providing anything useful to the case. Not to mention Jodie believes Tim Natividad was killed by a guy named Vince Taylor, not Natividad's girlfriend Elizabeth Godlove who was acquitted for the murder a mere four months later with a domestic violence defense apparently substantiated by Liz's testimony and that of a few others who testified Natividad had threatened people with a knife before.
A theory on that came about awhile back when someone alleged that Liz may have been forced to fire the final shot into Natividad so her hand would have evidence that she fired the gun and because she was going to be forced to take the rap for the murder. Yeah, I know, not another conspiracy theory, but Natividad's murder just two weeks after Francke's has always seemed coincidental and I don't believe much in coincidence.
Then you have the fact that Kevin Francke dumped his wife Katie in Florida and ended up marrying Liz. Weird. Great way to establish credibility while investigating your brother's murder by hooking up with a meth head who allegedly killed the guy you think killed your brother.
So much more...
FreeFrankGable
New Member
My apologies...my previous two January journal posts should've reflected the year 1989 rather than 1988. Apparently you lose the ability to edit your posts after a period of time.
Jan. 14-15, 1989 - Francke shoots his shotgun from the back porch of his rural Scotts Mills home. After his death, about 60 empty shells were found on the porch; a milk crate full of live shells were just inside the porch door; the shotgun was on his bed; and a .45 caliber handgun was under his pillow.
So was Francke just letting off steam over his wife Bingta leaving him a few days earlier or was he fearful of an attack on his life and engaging in target practice to familiarize himself with weapons at his disposal? Coincidence that Bingta left him just days before he was murdered? Bingta got nearly $1,000,000 in life insurance. Hmmm...
Jan. 14-15, 1989 - Francke shoots his shotgun from the back porch of his rural Scotts Mills home. After his death, about 60 empty shells were found on the porch; a milk crate full of live shells were just inside the porch door; the shotgun was on his bed; and a .45 caliber handgun was under his pillow.
So was Francke just letting off steam over his wife Bingta leaving him a few days earlier or was he fearful of an attack on his life and engaging in target practice to familiarize himself with weapons at his disposal? Coincidence that Bingta left him just days before he was murdered? Bingta got nearly $1,000,000 in life insurance. Hmmm...
Angels_Not_Forgotten
Anxiously Awaiting a WINNING NFL Season!
im not one to believe in coincidences either and the second murder two weeks later is quite disturbing. In line with the timeline, what was going on during David's murder? meaning, were fingers being pointed during that time? Had the police already narrowed down on Frank then?
Also, have you had the chance to meet with His ex wife yet? Can anything she say's be taken as truth, or does she herself have some perplexing background to go along with the changes in story?
Also, have you had the chance to meet with His ex wife yet? Can anything she say's be taken as truth, or does she herself have some perplexing background to go along with the changes in story?
Hey Rob, good job on all your research and to your comittment and dedication. I commend you and the others like you,who have not let this subject fade away and die. I was a close friend to jodie up until a year or so before this mess occured. We loss contact with one another until about a year after this mess,when out of the blue she called me from the motel she was being put up in off of I5 and Market St. wanting me to come by. I think it was the next day or so that I made it to the motel where she was staying,but had missed her by a couple of hours of her having to check out. Shortly there after, I moved out of state and have never seen or spoken to her since. When I try to look up any new info on her on the "net" it's mostly old stuff or crap on A.Jolie. I have seen her hypnosis on youtube and I cannot believe that, that is the same young,innocent,normal teenage girl I once knew and thought a great deal of. This story has claimed MANY victims and has left a long trail of sad stories. I wish all the time that Jodie would have had the chance to grow up w/the rest of us teens,making teen type mistakes,growing into young adulthood one slow step at a time. Anyways, I know that your participation in this forum isnt intended for this this question but like I said,I have spent hours looking for news or info and have never found the simple anwser that I am looking for. And you seem to be one of the more informed and up to date people on this subject, so I guess what I want to know is,what ever happened to Jodie? Thanks so much,I look forward to any further contributions you may make to this sight and to exploring the many,many other stories like this one,that this website has to share. It's a great site.
FreeFrankGable
New Member
Sleeler69,
I responded to your post in my blog the other day with the URL to Jodie's MySpace page. She was online earlier today as she sent me a message. You can message her there.
I responded to your post in my blog the other day with the URL to Jodie's MySpace page. She was online earlier today as she sent me a message. You can message her there.
FreeFrankGable
New Member
David's murder? You mean Tim Natividad, as "David" was his middle name? There was quite a bit going on with Natividad, most of which wouldn't be learned for another six months.
From Journal of a Murder...
Late December 1988 - Timothy David “Rooster” Natividad tells Melody Garcia, whose husband Konrad Garcia, is a penitentiary inmate, not to worry about her husband’s troubles with corrections administrators, according to Melody Garcia.
She told her story to the Statesman Journal and the state police in July 1989.
Natividad “mentioned Francke and said, ‘a lot of people will be happy when that man is dead,’” she said.
Jan. 16, 1989 - Natividad shows up at Melody Garcia’s house high on methamphetamines. According to Melody Garcia, “he was…babbling about shooting it out with some Mexicans…he said his people would get even with Michael Francke.”
Konrad Garcia had been getting repeatedly turned down for parole. That was his problem with corrections officials.
I wrote a piece about Melody Garcia with help from Kevin Francke when I first created my website entitled "Thanks, but no thanks-Says the Oregon State Police and Frank’s attorney-Bob Abel."
Excerpt from that piece...
Melody recalls Tim’s fascination with knives. He collected them like some people collect stamps. She recalls a menacing ten-inch boot-knife strapped to his leg.
She vividly relives the horrifying night Natividad came to her house, completely whacked out, and crazy on meth. His eyes practically popping out of their sockets. Her daughter went to the door, familiar, by now, with Rooster dropping in unexpectedly. But something was very different this time. Though just fourteen at the time, her instincts told her not to open the door. The face and demeanor of Rooster terrified her. She retreated to the back room and told her mom what she had seen. Melody instructed
her to not let him in: to lie, and tell him that Melody wasn’t there and just go away.
“It was the night before Francke was killed”, she said. Or was it?
Michael Francke’s car was found by employees in its usual designated spot in the front parking circle of the Dome Building with the driver’s door ajar around 7:15 p.m. on January the 17th. Despite this very out-of-character occurrence, and no response from numerous pages and a search of the office building, the police were never summoned.
Five hours later, just minutes into the morning of the 18th, a guard “rattling doorknobs” discovered his lifeless body on the north portico, lying in front of a door leading in to a clerical area in the Dome Building. Police and paramedics were summoned; soon the
crime scene was taken over and expanded by the Oregon State Police. Governor Goldschmidt and representatives of the District Attorney’s office were soon on the scene, but measures were taken to keep a lid on the news until the scene was secure, and any secondary crime scenes could be checked out. It was decided to issue the first press release at 8:00 a.m. PST, on the morning of the 18th.
Anyone in the northwest alive at the time would soon be deluged with the streams of radio and television coverage that the murder of one of the governor’s key cabinet members would create. Melody Garcia was no exception. Thinking that Francke had been killed the 18th, the day the body was discovered and the day of the press release, then the bizarre incident with Natividad the “night before the murder” was actually the very night of the murder. So was it just drugs fueling his freakish, paranoid behavior, or had something gone bad, very bad?
Kevin wanted to point out the error in the date Natividad allegedly showed up at Melody's house. The bulk of my excerpt above came from Kevin, however it apparently wasn't accurate.
Nearly three years ago I was contacted by Karie Rothschild Roos, Melody Garcia's daughter...the 14 year old mentioned in the excerpt above. She explained it was her sister who met Natividad at the door and who let him in the house. She also said they never would've denied entry to Natividad. She also claimed Natividad left a long, light-colored trenchcoat with blood on it at their house, which he later came back to retrieve.
Furthermore, she claimed she had witnessed Natividad kill someone else in her presence months earlier. That claim is substantiated by Gable defense investigator reports of an interview conducted with Karie prior to Gable's trial.
I corresponded with Karie for 2-3 weeks, at which time I decided to alert Kevin Francke to the contact as I knew he had been trying to locate her for months. Even though a good deal of animosity had built up between Kevin and I over other issues, and we hadn't spoken to each other for months, I decided to email him and alert him to the contact.
Within 12 hours my email to Kevin ended up in Karie's inbox. An interesting sequence of events which transpired in those 12 hours and which I wrote about in another piece on my website...Melody Garcia’s daughter contacts website
Karie was livid with me for contacting Kevin saying she didn't trust him ever since he married Liz. I, on the other hand, was still trying to convince myself that Kevin could be trusted. That his intentions in investigating his brother's murder were pure and genuine, and that I was allowing my cynicism to get the best of me in thinking otherwise.
Kevin's actions only fueled my cynicism further, and there is no reasonable explanation for Kevin not responding to my email and his actions compromising anything more which could've been learned from Karie, or even her mother Melody.
As for any fingers being pointed at that time...no. The police had no suspect/s, and they wouldn't zero in on Gable for over another year.
Whose ex-wife? Gable's? Janyne Vierra? You can read a transcript of her testimony by clicking a link on the homepage of my website, and yes, there's background there. Her brother, Randy Studer, was facing charges of molesting a family member. Although Randy consistently claimed that he had no knowledge of Frank being involved, he eventually turned on Frank. Pressure from the cops regarding his sex abuse case perhaps? Who knows, but after all this time these people need to be approached again.
From Journal of a Murder...
Late December 1988 - Timothy David “Rooster” Natividad tells Melody Garcia, whose husband Konrad Garcia, is a penitentiary inmate, not to worry about her husband’s troubles with corrections administrators, according to Melody Garcia.
She told her story to the Statesman Journal and the state police in July 1989.
Natividad “mentioned Francke and said, ‘a lot of people will be happy when that man is dead,’” she said.
Jan. 16, 1989 - Natividad shows up at Melody Garcia’s house high on methamphetamines. According to Melody Garcia, “he was…babbling about shooting it out with some Mexicans…he said his people would get even with Michael Francke.”
Konrad Garcia had been getting repeatedly turned down for parole. That was his problem with corrections officials.
I wrote a piece about Melody Garcia with help from Kevin Francke when I first created my website entitled "Thanks, but no thanks-Says the Oregon State Police and Frank’s attorney-Bob Abel."
Excerpt from that piece...
Melody recalls Tim’s fascination with knives. He collected them like some people collect stamps. She recalls a menacing ten-inch boot-knife strapped to his leg.
She vividly relives the horrifying night Natividad came to her house, completely whacked out, and crazy on meth. His eyes practically popping out of their sockets. Her daughter went to the door, familiar, by now, with Rooster dropping in unexpectedly. But something was very different this time. Though just fourteen at the time, her instincts told her not to open the door. The face and demeanor of Rooster terrified her. She retreated to the back room and told her mom what she had seen. Melody instructed
her to not let him in: to lie, and tell him that Melody wasn’t there and just go away.
“It was the night before Francke was killed”, she said. Or was it?
Michael Francke’s car was found by employees in its usual designated spot in the front parking circle of the Dome Building with the driver’s door ajar around 7:15 p.m. on January the 17th. Despite this very out-of-character occurrence, and no response from numerous pages and a search of the office building, the police were never summoned.
Five hours later, just minutes into the morning of the 18th, a guard “rattling doorknobs” discovered his lifeless body on the north portico, lying in front of a door leading in to a clerical area in the Dome Building. Police and paramedics were summoned; soon the
crime scene was taken over and expanded by the Oregon State Police. Governor Goldschmidt and representatives of the District Attorney’s office were soon on the scene, but measures were taken to keep a lid on the news until the scene was secure, and any secondary crime scenes could be checked out. It was decided to issue the first press release at 8:00 a.m. PST, on the morning of the 18th.
Anyone in the northwest alive at the time would soon be deluged with the streams of radio and television coverage that the murder of one of the governor’s key cabinet members would create. Melody Garcia was no exception. Thinking that Francke had been killed the 18th, the day the body was discovered and the day of the press release, then the bizarre incident with Natividad the “night before the murder” was actually the very night of the murder. So was it just drugs fueling his freakish, paranoid behavior, or had something gone bad, very bad?
Kevin wanted to point out the error in the date Natividad allegedly showed up at Melody's house. The bulk of my excerpt above came from Kevin, however it apparently wasn't accurate.
Nearly three years ago I was contacted by Karie Rothschild Roos, Melody Garcia's daughter...the 14 year old mentioned in the excerpt above. She explained it was her sister who met Natividad at the door and who let him in the house. She also said they never would've denied entry to Natividad. She also claimed Natividad left a long, light-colored trenchcoat with blood on it at their house, which he later came back to retrieve.
Furthermore, she claimed she had witnessed Natividad kill someone else in her presence months earlier. That claim is substantiated by Gable defense investigator reports of an interview conducted with Karie prior to Gable's trial.
I corresponded with Karie for 2-3 weeks, at which time I decided to alert Kevin Francke to the contact as I knew he had been trying to locate her for months. Even though a good deal of animosity had built up between Kevin and I over other issues, and we hadn't spoken to each other for months, I decided to email him and alert him to the contact.
Within 12 hours my email to Kevin ended up in Karie's inbox. An interesting sequence of events which transpired in those 12 hours and which I wrote about in another piece on my website...Melody Garcia’s daughter contacts website
Karie was livid with me for contacting Kevin saying she didn't trust him ever since he married Liz. I, on the other hand, was still trying to convince myself that Kevin could be trusted. That his intentions in investigating his brother's murder were pure and genuine, and that I was allowing my cynicism to get the best of me in thinking otherwise.
Kevin's actions only fueled my cynicism further, and there is no reasonable explanation for Kevin not responding to my email and his actions compromising anything more which could've been learned from Karie, or even her mother Melody.
As for any fingers being pointed at that time...no. The police had no suspect/s, and they wouldn't zero in on Gable for over another year.
Whose ex-wife? Gable's? Janyne Vierra? You can read a transcript of her testimony by clicking a link on the homepage of my website, and yes, there's background there. Her brother, Randy Studer, was facing charges of molesting a family member. Although Randy consistently claimed that he had no knowledge of Frank being involved, he eventually turned on Frank. Pressure from the cops regarding his sex abuse case perhaps? Who knows, but after all this time these people need to be approached again.
FreeFrankGable
New Member
Natividad talks to Konrad Garcia by Telephone, according to Garcia. Natividad asks him if he would like to get even with corrections administrators for what Garcia perceived as mistreatment.
Natividad says Garcia can get paid if he wasn’t particular about where the money came from or who in the administration he would be asked to attack.
Yet prosecutors successfully argued to Gable's trial judge that there was no reason to believe Tim Natividad should be considered a suspect in Francke's murder. This is just one of the many reasons why Natividad should have been considered a suspect.
Natividad says Garcia can get paid if he wasn’t particular about where the money came from or who in the administration he would be asked to attack.
Yet prosecutors successfully argued to Gable's trial judge that there was no reason to believe Tim Natividad should be considered a suspect in Francke's murder. This is just one of the many reasons why Natividad should have been considered a suspect.
FreeFrankGable
New Member
Tim Natividad shows up at Melody Garcias house high on methamphetamines. According to Melody Garcia, he was
babbling about shooting it out with some Mexicans
he said his people would get even with Michael Francke.
Was it really the 16th that Natividad showed up at Melody Garcia's house or the 17th, the night of Francke's murder?
Read "Thanks, but no thanks-Says the Oregon State Police and Franks attorney-Bob Abel."
By Rob Taylor
Was it really the 16th that Natividad showed up at Melody Garcia's house or the 17th, the night of Francke's murder?
Read "Thanks, but no thanks-Says the Oregon State Police and Franks attorney-Bob Abel."
By Rob Taylor
Thanks for taking the time to read my post and for the reply. Im emberassed for this next question and I must admit it's putting a smile on my face as I type it,but how do I see your blog and the reply you posted? I have to be the most non-computer/lingo savvy person of my generation. My friends all tease me because I still to take my photos to be developed. As apposed to their digital cameras and shiny objects. Anyways,thanks again, I knew you would be able to point me in the right direction.