GUILTY FL - Christine Franke, 25, UCF student, Orlando, shot in head, 21 Oct 2001 *DNA arrest*

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HOPEFULLY trial IS next! But I shall keep my eye out on it!

Docket Events:

Date Description Pages Doc
01/03/2023 HEARING - Trial - Alvaro, Chad K

12/09/2022 HEARING - Status Hearing - Alvaro, Chad K


Date Hearing Time Location Pages Doc
1/3/2023 Trial - Alvaro, Chad K 9:00 AM Room 6-A On the 6th Floor

12/9/2022 Status Hearing - Alvaro, Chad K 8:30 AM Room 6-A On the 6th Floor


link: https://myeclerk.myorangeclerk.com/...n46y8vGBxGMQbJVv4YXjXsMngYo2QDnNXVsOCqlB/nBo=
 
Docket Events
Date Description Pages Doc
01/23/2023 HEARING - Jury Trial - Alvaro, Chad K

01/18/2023 HEARING - Trial Management Conference - Alvaro, Chad K

01/03/2023 HEARING - CANCELED-Cancelled Trial - Alvaro, Chad K

12/16/2022 Per the Court:
Comments: State provided exhibits and proposed redactions to Defense in October. Defense's response to redactions should be made no later than 1/6/23

12/16/2022 Court Minutes

12/16/2022 HEARING - Status Hearing - Alvaro, Chad K (Actual: Alvaro, Chad K)


Hearings:
Date Hearing Time Location Pages Doc
1/23/2023 Jury Trial - Alvaro, Chad K 9:00 AM Room 6-A On the 6th Floor

1/18/2023 Trial Management Conference - Alvaro, Chad K 9:30 AM Room 6-A On the 6th Floor

1/3/2023 CANCELED-Cancelled Trial - Alvaro, Chad K 9:00 AM Room 6-A On the 6th Floor

12/16/2022 Status Hearing - Alvaro, Chad K (Actual: Alvaro, Chad K) 8:00 AM Room 6-A On the 6th Floor

link: https://myeclerk.myorangeclerk.com/...H0cXKJffb1RsL325T+pIweeSoKojpVhBMRxpbItVsz9Y=
 
This poor family! She was murdered in 2001, perp identified in 2017, and now the end of 2022 and there’s still no trial. Jeez—the wheels of justice are turning extra slow.
 
Looks like I missed a hearing last week....

Docket update:
Date Description
01/30/2023 HEARING - Trial - Brownlee, Paetra

01/23/2023 HEARING - CANCELED-Cancelled Jury Trial - Brownlee, Paetra

01/18/2023 HEARING - CANCELED-Cancelled Trial Management Conference - Brownlee, Paetra

01/12/2023 Per the Court:
Comments: Trial Management Conference held

01/12/2023 Court Minutes

01/12/2023 HEARING - Trial Management Conference - Brownlee, Paetra (Actual: Brownlee, Paetra)

01/03/2023 HEARING - CANCELED-Cancelled Trial - Brownlee, Paetra

12/19/2022 Electronic Copy Sent to Private Attorney
Comments: Document Delivery: JERRY GIRLEY ESQ - Sent 12/19/2022 8:35:40 AM


Hearings:
Date Hearing Time Location
1/30/2023 Trial - Brownlee, Paetra 9:00 AM Room 7-D On The 7th Floor
1/23/2023 CANCELED-Cancelled Jury Trial - Brownlee, Paetra 9:00 AM Room 7-D On The 7th Floor

1/18/2023 CANCELED-Cancelled Trial Management Conference - Brownlee, Paetra 9:30 AM Room 7-D On The 7th Floor

1/12/2023 Trial Management Conference - Brownlee, Paetra (Actual: Brownlee, Paetra) 8:00 AM Room 7-D On The 7th Floor

1/3/2023 CANCELED-Cancelled Trial - Brownlee, Paetra 9:00 AM Room 7-D On The 7th Floor

link: https://myeclerk.myorangeclerk.com/...R5ds6NImD6VltY8qSZjGesO/KZVy6ATHRsW41RnH07eE=
 
Monday, January 30th:
*Trial set to begin (@ 9am) – FL - Christine Franke (25) (Oct. 21, 2001, Orlando, shot in head) - *Benjamin Lee Holmes, Jr. (21 @ time of crime/38/now 42) arrested (11/2/18), charged (11/21/18) & arraigned (12/10/18) with 1st degree murder (with a firearm) & 1st degree robbery with a firearm. Plead not guilty. Held without bond.
Parabon NanoLabs Snapshot DNA Phenotyping & GEDMatch.
Trial was set to begin on 1/3/23 continued on 1/23/23 was continued on 1/30/23. (at least 3 weeks).
Court hearings from 11/6/18 thru 10/11/22 reference post #98 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...do-shot-in-head-21-oct-2001-dna.397627/page-5
10/31/22 Update: Motion for trial continuance-granted. Next status hearing on 12/9/22 & trial now will begin on 1/3/23. 12/9/22 Update: Next trial set to begin on 1/3/23.
12/16/22 Update: State provided exhibits & proposed redactions to Defense in October. Defense's response to redactions should be made no later than 1/6/23. Trial continuance-granted. Next trial management conference hearing on 1/18/23 @ 9:30am & Jury Trial is now set to begin on 1/23/23 @ 9am.
1/12/23 Update: Had trial management conference hearing. The one on 1/18/23 has been cancelled & trial on 1/23/23 was cancelled. Next trial on 1/30/23 set to begin at 9am.
 
Nothing has been updated on the court site - so I am hoping this is still going on. And not finding any current articles either. I shall check court site later today.

Tuesday, January 31st:
*Trial continues (Day 2) (@ 9am) – FL - Christine Franke (25) (Oct. 21, 2001, Orlando, shot in head) - *Benjamin Lee Holmes, Jr. (21 @ time of crime/38/now 42) arrested (11/2/18), charged (11/21/18) & arraigned (12/10/18) with 1st degree murder (with a firearm) & 1st degree robbery with a firearm. Plead not guilty. Held without bond.
Parabon NanoLabs Snapshot DNA Phenotyping & GEDMatch.
Trial begin on 1/30/23. (at least 3 weeks).
Court hearings from 11/6/18 thru 1/12/23 reference post #106 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...do-shot-in-head-21-oct-2001-dna.397627/page-6
1/30/23 Trial Day 1: Jury selection begins. No other info available. Trial continues on 1/31/23.
 
Still no updates in the court site - and can not find any articles on this case...
So - I shall keep posting until someone tells me any thing different.

Wednesday, February 1st:
*Trial continues (Day 3) (@ 9am) – FL - Christine Franke (25) (Oct. 21, 2001, Orlando, shot in head) - *Benjamin Lee Holmes, Jr. (21 @ time of crime/38/now 42) arrested (11/2/18), charged (11/21/18) & arraigned (12/10/18) with 1st degree murder (with a firearm) & 1st degree robbery with a firearm. Plead not guilty. Held without bond.
Parabon NanoLabs Snapshot DNA Phenotyping & GEDMatch.
Trial begin on 1/30/23. (at least 3 weeks).
Court hearings from 11/6/18 thru 1/12/23 reference post #106 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...do-shot-in-head-21-oct-2001-dna.397627/page-6
1/30/23 Monday, Trial Day 1: Jury selection begins. No other info available. Trial continues on 1/31/23.
1/31/23 Tuesday, Trial/Jury Selection Day 2: No info available. Trial continues on 2/1/23.
 
Well - it looks like this trial DID start. Even though the court site has not been updated.
This is the 3rd day of trial - see next post for day 1 & 2.

www.clickorlando.com

‘One person left:’ Detective says DNA solved 2001 UCF student’s murder

A cold case detective assigned to investigate the 2001 murder of a UCF student turned to new DNA technology and genealogy research to identify the suspected killer, the veteran homicide investigator testified in court Friday.
www.clickorlando.com www.clickorlando.com

Feb. 3, 2023

ORLANDO, Fla. – A cold case detective assigned to investigate the 2001 murder of a UCF student turned to new DNA technology and genealogy research to identify the suspected killer, the veteran homicide investigator testified in court Friday.

Benjamin Holmes is on trial for fatally shooting Christine Franke in her Orlando apartment nearly two decades ago.
[.....]
For nearly two decades, detectives with the Orlando Police Department compared that DNA to Franke’s friends, co-workers, neighbors and other potential people of interest, but they could not find a match.
We were out of leads,” Det. Michael Fields told jurors. Fields was assigned to the cold case in 2013.

While at a conference, Fields said he learned about a DNA analysis company called Parabon Nanolabs.
[.....]
Holmes’s attorney has not disputed that his client’s DNA was found at the crime scene.

During opening statements, the defense claimed someone else “planted” Holmes’s DNA on Franke’s body to protect the “real killer.” Neither Holmes nor his attorney have explained yet how that could have happened.


I am going to see if I can find more articles for the days before...
 
Last edited:
I believe this is the first day of trial.


www.clickorlando.com

22 years after UCF student’s murder, man linked to crime through DNA goes on trial

Nearly 22 years after Christine Franke was found dead in her Orlando apartment, the man accused of fatally shooting the UCF student is on trial for first degree murder.
www.clickorlando.com www.clickorlando.com

Feb. 1, 2023
ORLANDO, Fla. – Nearly 22 years after Christine Franke was found dead in her Orlando apartment, the man accused of fatally shooting the UCF student is on trial for first degree murder.
[.....]
During opening statements, Holmes’s attorney did not dispute that his client’s DNA was found on the victim’s body.

But the defense claimed someone else staged the crime scene to frame Holmes.

“(The DNA evidence) was planted by someone who knew the victim to deflect attention away from someone else,” defense attorney Jerry Girley told the jury.
[.....]
Prosecutors promised jurors that circumstantial evidence presented during the trial would point to Holmes as the killer.

“Every crime scene tells a story,” said Assistant State Attorney Sean Wiggins.
[.....]
In 2018, Orlando detectives learned about the arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo, the suspected Golden State Killer who murdered at least 12 people and raped more than 50 women in California in the 1970s and 1980s.
[.....]
Exactly two weeks after DeAngelo’s arrest, Orlando Police received an email from Parabon Nanolabs, a DNA analysis company, stating that it had received “promising” matches after entering DNA data from the Franke crime scene into a genealogy database called GEDmatch.
[.....]
In the years leading up to this week’s trial, Holmes’s attorney unsuccessfully attempted to bar prosecutors from presenting the DNA evidence to a jury.

“(His family’s) DNA was obtained through false pretenses,” Girley told News 6 in 2019.

The attorney claims detectives told Holmes’s mother they needed her to provide a DNA sample to help identify a murder victim.

As part of Holmes’s defense, Girley plans to show jurors that there is no other evidence connecting his client to the crime scene, including fingerprints, hair, shoeprints or skin cells.



this will be 2nd Day of trial:

www.clickorlando.com

Man accused in 2001 murder of UCF student claims his DNA was ‘planted’

A former Orlando police detective testified Thursday during the trial of a man accused in the 2001 murder of a UCF student that he has never encountered a crime scene that was staged to make it appear someone else committed it.
www.clickorlando.com www.clickorlando.com

Feb. 2, 2023
ORLANDO, Fla. – A former Orlando police detective testified Thursday during the trial of a man accused in the 2001 murder of a UCF student that he has never encountered a crime scene that was staged to make it appear someone else committed it.
[.....]
Former Orlando Police detective Roy Filippucci testified that he investigated several potential people of interest in the years following Franke’s murder, including her friends, co-workers and neighbors.
[.....]
Holmes’ murder trial resumes Friday.
 
Here is another article

news.yahoo.com

Fla. murder trial with Valdosta links begins

Feb. 2—ORLANDO, Fla. — A murder trial has begun in Florida for a man who was arrested in Valdosta in 2018 for the slaying of an Orlando woman. Benjamin Lee Holmes Jr., 42, went on trial Monday for the death of Christine Franke, who died Oct. 21, 2001. He is charged with first-degree murder with...
news.yahoo.com news.yahoo.com
 
Monday, February 6th:
*Trial continues (Day 4) (@ 9am) – FL - Christine Franke (25) (Oct. 21, 2001, Orlando, shot in head) - *Benjamin Lee Holmes, Jr. (21 @ time of crime/38/now 42) arrested (11/2/18), charged (11/21/18) & arraigned (12/10/18) with 1st degree murder (with a firearm) & 1st degree robbery with a firearm. Plead not guilty. Held without bond.
Parabon NanoLabs Snapshot DNA Phenotyping & GEDMatch.
Trial began on 1/30 to 1/31/23 with jury selection. Trial began on 2/1/23. (at least 3 weeks).
Court hearings from 11/6/18 thru 1/12/23 reference post #106 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...do-shot-in-head-21-oct-2001-dna.397627/page-6
1/30/23 Monday, Trial: Had trial management conference hearing on 1/30/23. Jury selection began (?)
1/31/23 Tuesday, Trial/Jury Selection Day 2: Jury selected. Trial begins on 2/1/23 with opening statements.
2/1/23 Wednesday, Trial Day 1: Opening statements by Assistant State attorney Sean Wiggins & by defense attorney Jerald Girley. Trial continues on 2/2/23.
For more info see post #111 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...-in-head-21-oct-2001-dna-arrest.397627/page-6
2/2/23 Thursday, Trial Day 2: State witness: Former Orlando Police detective Roy Filippucci. No other info available. Trial continues on 2/3/23.
For more info see post #111 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...-in-head-21-oct-2001-dna-arrest.397627/page-6
2/3/23 Friday, Trial Day 3: State witness: Orlando Police Detective Michael Fields. No other info available.
For more info see post #110 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...-in-head-21-oct-2001-dna-arrest.397627/page-6
Trial continues on Monday, 2/6/23.
 
www.clickorlando.com

‘It matched’: DNA analyst links man to 2001 murder of UCF student

A state crime lab analyst testified Monday that DNA collected from Benjamin Holmes in 2018 matched DNA evidence found on the body of murder victim Christine Franke nearly 22 years earlier.
www.clickorlando.com www.clickorlando.com

Feb. 6, 2023
ORLANDO, Fla. – A state crime lab analyst testified Monday that DNA collected from Benjamin Holmes in 2018 matched DNA evidence found on the body of murder victim Christine Franke nearly 22 years ago.
[.....]
Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime lab analyst Laura Wenz compared Holmes’s DNA to the semen found at the crime scene in 2001.

“When I made the comparison, that DNA profile matched the DNA profile from Benjamin Lee Holmes,” Wenz told the jury.
[.....]
No evidence has been presented at trial indicating Holmes knew Franke or lived near the victim.

The only evidence linking Holmes to Franke’s murder is DNA, according to trial testimony so far.
[.....]
Testimony is scheduled to resume Tuesday.
 
Tuesday, February 7th:
*Trial continues (Day 5) (@ 9am) – FL - Christine Franke (25) (Oct. 21, 2001, Orlando, shot in head) - *Benjamin Lee Holmes, Jr. (21 @ time of crime/38/now 42) arrested (11/2/18), charged (11/21/18) & arraigned (12/10/18) with 1st degree murder (with a firearm) & 1st degree robbery with a firearm. Plead not guilty. Held without bond.
Parabon NanoLabs Snapshot DNA Phenotyping & GEDMatch.
Trial begin on 1/30/23 with jury selection. Trial began on 2/1/23.
Court hearings from 11/6/18 thru 1/12/23, Jury Selection Days 1-2 (1/30 to 1/31/23) & Trial Days 1-3 (2/1 to 2/3/23) reference post #113 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...do-shot-in-head-21-oct-2001-dna.397627/page-6
2/6/23 Monday, Trial Day 4: State witness: Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement crime lab analyst Laura Wenz.
For more info see post #114 (article) here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...-in-head-21-oct-2001-dna-arrest.397627/page-6
Trial continues on Tuesday, 2/7/23.
 
Guilty!!

www.clickorlando.com

Benjamin Holmes found guilty in 2001 murder of UCF student

A jury convicted Benjamin Holmes of first-degree murder in the shooting of UCF student Christine Franke in 2001.
www.clickorlando.com www.clickorlando.com

Benjamin Holmes, the man on trial for the murder of UCF student Christine Franke, was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury at the Orange County Courthouse on Tuesday evening. Although sentencing will occur at an undetermined later date, first-degree murder is an automatic life sentence in Florida.
 
PayrollNerd said:
Guilty!!

www.clickorlando.com

Benjamin Holmes found guilty in 2001 murder of UCF student

A jury convicted Benjamin Holmes of first-degree murder in the shooting of UCF student Christine Franke in 2001.
www.clickorlando.com www.clickorlando.com

Benjamin Holmes, the man on trial for the murder of UCF student Christine Franke, was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury at the Orange County Courthouse on Tuesday evening. Although sentencing will occur at an undetermined later date, first-degree murder is an automatic life sentence in Florida.
Click to expand...

Thank you for this!! :) Good!
 
Docket update:

Docket Events:
Date Description Pages Doc
02/07/2023 Disposition

02/07/2023 Minutes Jury
Comments: Defense Attorney to contact Judicial Assistant for Sentencing date.

02/07/2023 Defendant Found Guilty
Comments: by Sworn Petit Jury.

02/07/2023 Court Minutes

02/07/2023 HEARING - Trial - Brownlee, Paetra (Actual: Brownlee, Paetra)

02/06/2023 Notice of Prior Convictions and Criminal History 1

01/30/2023 HEARING - Trial - Brownlee, Paetra


Hearings:
Date Hearing Time Location Pages Doc
2/7/2023 Trial - Brownlee, Paetra (Actual: Brownlee, Paetra) 1:00 PM Room 7-D On The 7th Floor

1/30/2023 Trial - Brownlee, Paetra 9:00 AM Room 7-D On The 7th Floor

link: https://myeclerk.myorangeclerk.com/CaseDetails?cItem=Ct2QT5lilIbwgdkv0xkFY+8CcDwib/gdykM+8NXNbM8C3B3UJ7BlOaueZdLCV+fNsXtszQs5kTkZZ5pANSC1K6ff47Di16V0FkbasO174ec=
 
No sentencing date yet on court site - I shall keep my eye out.

Only update:

Offense Date Charge Plea Arrest Disposition Sentence
10/21/2001 1. FIRST DEGREE MURDER (WITH A FIREARM) Statute: 782.04(1) Capital Offense 2/7/2023 Not Guilty/Deny 11/2/2018 OBTS:8888888888 Sequence:1 Control Number:201800422991 Arresting Agency:Orlando Police Department 2/7/2023 2 - Adjudicated Guilty Jury Trial

10/21/2001 2. ROBBERY WITH A FIREARM Statute: 812.13(2)(A) First Degree - Felony 2/7/2023 Not Guilty/Deny 11/2/2018 OBTS:8888888888 Sequence:2 Control Number:201800422991 Arresting Agency:Orlando Police Department
11/21/2018 No Action Taken


link: https://myeclerk.myorangeclerk.com/...ZsmQWVL42jjg8K7OpjltXMbOnmCUOf7tqO4kGjDUiVVI=
 
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