00:00:00
Substance use disorder and addiction is so isolating. And so, as a black woman in recovery, hope must be loud.
00:00:11
It grows louder when you ask for help and you're vulnerable. It is the thread that lets you know that no matter what
00:00:18
happens, you will be okay. [music] >> When we learn the power of hope, recovery is possible. Find out how at
00:00:25
startwithhope.com. [music] Brought to you by the National Council for Mental Well-being, Shatterproof, and
00:00:29
the Ad Council. >> [music] [music] [music] >> Welcome to True Crime Garage. Wherever
00:01:12
you are, whatever you are doing, thanks for listening. I'm your host Nick, and with me as always, he'll tell you he's
00:01:19
the king of these barrio streets. Here is the captain. >> It's good to be seen and good to see
00:01:24
you. Thanks for listening. [music] Thanks for telling a friend. >> Today we are drinking Blueberry Field
00:01:33
Party by Head Brewer Forest Swan in the Beer Slingers down at Georgia Beer Company. Blueberry Field Party is a
00:01:42
fruited blonde ale. Georgia soil is ideal for blueberries, and blueberries are ideal for blonde ales. This is a
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great springtime beer. It tastes and feels like a springtime beer, and will be super refreshing when the days start
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to heat up. ABV 5.2% Garage Grade a solid four out of five bottle caps. This one was delivered to
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us by some kind and generous folks that attended our Brian Shafer event. I believe they drove all the way up from
00:02:16
Florida. So thank you very much and here we go Captain. Here's some cheers and thanks to our good friends that helped
00:02:24
us fill up the old fridge for this week. First up a shout out to Olivia from Enumclaw, Washington.
00:02:32
>> And a big talk hands in the air goes to Ashley from Bagley, Minnesota. [music]
00:02:37
>> And here's a cheers to Akara Boyd in Maryland and last but certainly not least we have Marcy
00:02:46
Hokenstra from Sacramento, California. Everyone we just [music] mentioned went to truecrimegarage.com
00:02:53
and helped us out with this week's beer [music] fund for the beer run and for that
00:02:58
we thank you. >> Yeah, for everything truecrime check out truecrimegarage.com. While you're there [music] sign up on
00:03:04
the mailing list and check out the merch store. Treat yourself and that's enough
00:03:09
of the bee s ness. >> All right, everybody gather around, grab a chair, grab a beer. Let's talk some
00:03:15
true crime. >> Three shootings in a little over a week and [music] now investigators saying
00:03:24
they could be connected. >> Macon Regional Crime Stoppers is offering a $20,000 reward for
00:03:30
information leading to the arrest of Daniel Bruce France II. He's the man accused of killing Vincent
00:03:36
Jr. at the Tanglewood Apartments on January 13th. That was the first of three deadly shootings this month.
00:03:43
>> Hours later down the road a gunman shot and killed Janet Patel, a cashier at the
00:03:46
Chevron gas station. When Robins Police Chief Brett Evans says they haven't named a suspect in that shooting but
00:03:52
says it could be related to the Tanglewood apartment shooting. >> Then Sunday night, 23-year-old Parker
00:03:58
Moore was killed during a robbery at Barberitos. Police cannot say for sure whether the Barberitos shooting death is
00:04:05
related to the other two, but Chief Evans did say they cannot rule out that friends was involved in all three
00:04:11
homicides. >> As police continue to search for answers, Chief Brett Evans says the
00:04:16
three shootings hit close to home for everybody in Warner Robins, including his officers.
00:04:21
>> Our families are intertwined in this community every day. We eat at the same establishments. We go
00:04:27
to the same movie theaters. We shop at the same facilities. We breakfast at a lot of the same
00:04:33
places. So, it's very personal to us. Please understand that. >> Warner Robins Mayor Randy Toms is also
00:04:42
concerned about people being protected. Today, he said he would ask council to remove the ban against city employees
00:04:48
carrying weapons in city buildings. >> This is our home. And this not only does my heart hurt
00:04:59
for the families and the people that have been affected by this string of senseless tragic events,
00:05:07
but it anchors me that our citizens safety and security is threatened. >> [music]
00:05:26
[music] >> This week we are headed out to Warner Robins, Georgia. Warner Robins is near
00:05:41
Macon, Georgia and is located within portions of both Houston and Peach counties. It is one [music] of the
00:05:49
state's larger cities with a population of about 85,000 folks. We are going back to 2018.
00:05:58
2018 for the people of Warner Robins, that year was going to kick off in a really bad way. We're going to see a
00:06:07
dramatic uptick in gun violence and robberies in January of 2018. So let's start this timeline on
00:06:17
Saturday, January 13th, 2018. At 6:12 p.m., Warner Robins Police Department were dispatched to the
00:06:28
Tanglewood Apartments at 1005 Alberta Road. This to investigate a report of shots fired inside apartment
00:06:38
number 90. They didn't know it at the time, but they were responding to what would
00:06:44
ultimately be the Warner Robins first homicide of the year. There at that apartment, they found a
00:06:53
man shot dead inside. The victim in the Tanglewood Apartments shooting was identified as Vincent Jr., aged 28 of
00:07:01
Warner Robins. There were strong indicators at the scene that he may have known the
00:07:08
suspect. But the suspect was unknown to police at this time and was described as a young
00:07:16
black male, probably in his 20s, with a slim build and wearing a dark hooded shirt and blue jeans.
00:07:24
The two were heard arguing before shots were fired. It's believed that there were eyewitnesses as well as
00:07:32
earwitnesses in this case. The suspect fired several shots at the victim, killing him, and then fleeing
00:07:40
the scene. Vehicle information on the suspect was not known and he may have fled on foot.
00:07:48
Warner Robins Police Department were busy looking for the suspect and the one who was taking the lead on this captain
00:07:56
was Detective Carter Gravitt. Police were actively looking for the suspect who murdered this 28-year-old
00:08:05
Vincent Jr. on a Saturday evening. >> Do we know much about this apartment complex?
00:08:12
>> From my understanding here, this apartment complex is situated in a well-populated area. So, nearby you're
00:08:21
going to have a lot of businesses, a lot of strip malls and things of that nature. So, whether this individual fled
00:08:28
on foot or in a vehicle, as said at the time, was unknown. But, could have been if having fled on foot could have been
00:08:37
hiding anywhere nearby. And that kind of leads into the next piece of our timeline here. Because less
00:08:46
than 3 hours later, so this is at 8:56 p.m. that same night. Police officers responded to a 911 call of a robbery
00:08:54
with shots fired at the Chevron gas station. This is located at 806 Alberta Road. Notice that those are the same
00:09:02
roads. So, this is a Chevron gas station also known as Food Mart number three. Inside
00:09:09
they found a store clerk shot. Paramedics attempted to revive the victim, but they were unsuccessful. The victim's
00:09:19
name is Janak Patel. J A N A K, but he went by the name of Jack Patel. So, Jack was
00:09:29
working alone that night. So, less than 3 hours after the first call, Warner Robins police were
00:09:38
responding to what would be the city's second homicide of the year with Detective Justin Clark taking the lead
00:09:45
on this one. Again, it's the Chevron gas station {slash} convenience store. So, it's
00:09:52
a little bit of a larger gas station, pumps out front, you have snacks and drinks and beverages inside.
00:09:59
The clerk in the in this case was shot dead, as we said less than 3 hours after the fatal shooting at an apartment
00:10:09
complex nearby. When we say nearby, this is .4 miles these two locations. >> So, we have a crime scene at the
00:10:19
apartments and we have a crime scene at this gas station. And it's possible that they're
00:10:24
connected. >> Well, absolutely, because what we have here is the Warner Robins Police
00:10:29
Department Assistant Chief John Wagner, who said it hasn't been determined whether the two shootings are related.
00:10:38
Quote, "It certainly is odd that they were close in proximity," he said. "We are certainly not ruling that out." End
00:10:47
quote. >> Do we have surveillance footage at the apartment complex? I think any of these
00:10:53
large apartment complex should have at least outdoor surveillance. >> In this case, it doesn't sound like that
00:11:00
was available to police or existed, but what we do have is the suspect description
00:11:09
from the Chevron gas station homicide. Right. So, in this case, the suspect is described by police as a
00:11:18
black male wearing dark clothing with his face partially covered. And they say that they know that the suspect fled
00:11:25
toward Greenbriar Road. They used a tracking dog in attempts to locate the suspect, but this was
00:11:34
unsuccessful. So, at the Chevron Captain, they did have surveillance cameras, working
00:11:43
surveillance cameras. >> Wow. >> That's right. Amazing. So, using those, they can confirm that the description of
00:11:50
the suspect that they put out is very accurate, okay? And they eventually would go on to
00:11:56
release a still image of the suspect at the Chevron robbery and homicide where that went
00:12:03
down. So, based off of video footage what they know law enforcement is that the suspect
00:12:12
walked in gun pointing at the lone clerk the gunman demanded money and demanded it
00:12:20
to be fast when handing it over. Jack Patel handed over the money and then the gunman, who could have simply
00:12:28
have just turned and fled having got what he wanted, decided to do something so cold, something so evil. So, with the
00:12:37
money already in his possession and Jack Patel giving him no problems at all, totally compliant to the gunman,
00:12:44
the masked gunman shot and killed Jack before fleeing the scene. >> Yeah, it makes you wonder if
00:12:52
this killer thought that Patel recognized him. >> It's a possibility. Could have
00:12:57
recognized his voice. What we can see of the actual suspect, he's completely covered head to toe with the exception
00:13:05
of his eyes and the bridge of his nose. Jack Kumar Patel of Warner Robins was just 25 years old. As we said, he was
00:13:15
working alone that night. This was supposed to be his last shift. He had already lined some things up and was
00:13:22
moving on to greener pastures with just one shift left to cover when he was robbed, shot, and killed
00:13:30
that night. The Chevron station on Alberta Road in Warner Robins was blocked off with crime scene tape.
00:13:39
And that crime scene tape remained up the following morning on Sunday morning. So, on Saturday, January 13th, 2018,
00:13:49
Captain, the city of Warner Robins, Georgia, experiences the first two homicides of the year on the same night.
00:13:59
The previous year, the city had only six homicides for the entire calendar year. Five days later, Warner
00:14:09
Robins police announced that they are looking for a local man wanted in the slaying at [clears throat] the
00:14:18
Tanglewood Apartments. Police said that Daniel Bruce France II has been charged with murder in the shooting death of
00:14:23
28-year-old Vincent D. Jr. has been charged with murder in the shooting death of 28-year-old Vincent D. Jr.
00:14:31
on January 13th. France had also been charged with aggravated assault. Okay, quote, France
00:14:39
has been seen in the middle Georgia area and is more than likely armed and considered dangerous.
00:14:47
The department said in a statement to the public, the 27-year-old France is described as a black male with a light
00:14:55
complexion who weighs about 160 lb, is 5' 7" tall. Vincent Jr., the victim from the apartments, was a city of Warner
00:15:06
Robins employee in the public works department, and police said anyone with information about France's whereabouts
00:15:13
is asked to call Detective Gravette or call the Macon Regional Crime Stoppers. Okay, so, taking
00:15:22
emotions out of this and to put it in its simplest of forms, we got a lot going on here in a very short period of
00:15:30
time. We have two homicides, both on that Saturday. Then a suspect in one of those homicides
00:15:38
is identified and police asking for the public's assistance in locating the suspect
00:15:45
by Thursday. Again, his name is Daniel Bruce France II, armed and dangerous. So, we have an active manhunt going on
00:15:55
when the unimaginable happens. So, on our timeline, this is Sunday, January 21st. So, just 8 days
00:16:04
after the first two homicides, this is just a little bit after 9:30 p.m. on that Sunday,
00:16:12
when Warner Robins police were dispatched to a Barberitos restaurant located at 3123 Watson Boulevard after
00:16:23
shots were reportedly fired there. Police arrive on the scene and they walk into a nightmare of a situation.
00:16:33
So, this restaurant was still open at the time of the incident. They would have closed that night at 10:00 p.m. We
00:16:39
have employees and customers in the Barberitos when the shots were fired. Once on the scene,
00:16:48
they find 23-year-old Parker Killion Moore shot and unresponsive. He was found lying behind the counter near the
00:16:57
open cash register. Also inside, we have another injured worker. He is severely injured. He's
00:17:05
described as a 21-year-old man who was shot in the head, but somehow he was able to tell police what happened.
00:17:13
This young man had to be rushed off to the hospital to save his life, but he tells police he was shot first
00:17:20
by the robber while he and others were trying to get the money that the robber had demanded. So,
00:17:26
they're trying to get cash out of the register to give to the armed robber. >> Right.
00:17:32
>> I I will use the words that the Macon Telegraph used. Parker Killion Moore was fatally wounded
00:17:40
by a parting shot that the bandit fired. A parting shot. >> What does that mean?
00:17:47
>> Sounding a lot like the Chevron gas station situation where he demands money, gunman demands money, gets the
00:17:54
money, and then shoots Parker Killion Moore anyway when he could have just turned
00:17:59
and fled without shooting anyone. >> Yeah, and I don't know if this [snorts] is in the reports, but he probably
00:18:07
didn't get much money, and it's pretty pathetic. It's a pathetic move by somebody that's
00:18:15
in my opinion less than human to get a small amount of money and take somebody's life.
00:18:21
>> Absolutely. And we'll stick with this here, Captain, and then get into some far more in-depth and detailed
00:18:27
information about this robbery homicide as we have several witnesses in this case, some that we were able to speak
00:18:34
with to get first-hand accounts of the events of that horrific night. But, we'll stick with what was publicly
00:18:42
reported here for the moment. The Macon Telegraph reported a third employee who was inside the restaurant ran to a
00:18:50
nearby Dunkin' Donuts telling the employees there to lock the doors and call 911.
00:18:58
We had four customers, reportedly, that were also inside the Barberitos when Moore was shot. Video surveillance was
00:19:06
pulled from Barberitos, from the Dunkin' Donuts, from a convenience store across the street,
00:19:13
two nearby hotels, and other nearby businesses. The suspect was seen on surveillance
00:19:21
video at 9:28 p.m. coming from alongside a hotel near the restaurant, going through some bushes, cutting through
00:19:30
some bushes, and then running to the back door of the Barberitos. And then the video also shows him
00:19:38
fleeing south bound just minutes later. Warner Robins police patrol officers, detectives, and
00:19:47
crime scene investigators continued to work that crime scene well into the night and then into Monday. Crime scene
00:19:55
investigators use special equipment to make a 3D image of the scene. Detectives and uniform officers
00:20:05
canvassed a parking lot and a nearby field looking in trash containers for possible evidence.
00:20:13
The killing of restaurant worker Parker Killian Moore was the city's third homicide of 2018,
00:20:21
and it was January 21st. This is three homicides in just eight days, and there was very
00:20:29
nearly a fourth homicide that night. The other man that was shot came within just a centimeter or two of losing his
00:20:39
life. Thankfully, he was able to be saved. Well, we're going to learn a little bit about this
00:20:46
suspect from the surveillance inside, but to me, if I'm investigating this, I want the surveillance from outside
00:20:54
because it's more likely I'm going to be able I'll be able to identify the vehicle.
00:21:00
>> Yeah, you were hoping to see So, the the surveillance footage that they they have that captures the suspect
00:21:09
approaching the Barb Burritos and fleeing the Barb Burritos. They don't They're unable to pull any vehicle
00:21:15
information from that footage. Or at least as far as we've been told and what has been
00:21:22
released to the public. What you do have, which is interesting because we don't always have this in many of the
00:21:30
cases that we've looked at, is you do get to see him approaching the business and also fleeing the
00:21:36
business. So, it does give you some idea of if it's just general information, it
00:21:42
still gives you some information as to where he came from and where he may have gone.
00:21:48
You also get to see him his movements and how he chooses and approaches the business and then later flees the
00:21:55
business. So, let's get to a um This is a news conference regarding the three January 2018
00:22:06
homicides. It was scheduled for that Tuesday. Remember, police and crime scene techs
00:22:13
are still at the scene of Barb Burritos well into Monday. So, the next day on that Tuesday, Warner Robins Police
00:22:24
Headquarters is hosting a news conference regarding these three homicides. And we played a news clip of that press
00:22:34
conference for you in today's trailer. At that press conference, we learn how the police were working
00:22:43
these three cases. They announced to the public that the Barb Burritos restaurant worker
00:22:50
fatally shot in an armed robbery that Sunday night may not have been the killer's first victim.
00:22:59
Warner Robins Police Chief Brett Evans told reporters and the public that one man may be behind the three
00:23:09
killings. Warner Robins and Police Department investigators were trying to determine
00:23:15
if the shooter at Barbaritos is the same man who killed a Chevron convenience store clerk on January 13th in an armed
00:23:25
robbery, said Warner Robins assistant police chief John Wagner. The features of the suspects are
00:23:33
similar, he said. The suspect in the Chevron slaying was described as a skinny black male about 6 ft tall
00:23:41
wearing dark clothing and partially covering his face according to a police release.
00:23:48
The suspect in the Barbaritos killing was described as a black male about 6 ft tall who was wearing dark clothing and a
00:23:57
face covering. Police released photos taken from surveillance video of the two armed robberies. They also announced
00:24:06
reward money for leads in these cases. So, within less than 2 weeks' time we have three homicides, an active
00:24:16
manhunt for one of the murders, several formal statements from police to the press and
00:24:24
public, a press conference held within 2 days after the third murder, and reward money offered up for
00:24:31
information and leads. >> Well, this has to be scary for the community because it seems like the
00:24:39
motive is pretty simple, money, but not large amounts of money. And so, this individual is willing to
00:24:46
kill people over little to no amount of money. >> Exactly. And what you have here,
00:24:52
Captain, is as of 21 days into 2018, you have half the number of homicides that the same city experienced in 365
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00:30:08
>> Courage. I learned it from my adoptive mom. >> Hold my hand. You hold my hand.
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You can't imagine the reward. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the US Department of
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Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. >> All right, we are back. Thanks for
00:30:48
joining [music] us here in the garage. Tall cans in the air. >> That's right. Cheers to the people in
00:30:54
the back. Power to the people. All right, Captain. Let me read portions of this from the
00:31:01
front page of the Macon Telegraph. So, this is January 24th, 2018. I want to read from it because it
00:31:09
clearly states the police's theory at that time and the ongoing manhunt for the one named suspect. Police Chief
00:31:20
Brett Evans said at a news conference, Daniel Bruce France II is wanted on charges of murder and
00:31:28
aggravated assault in the January 13th slaying of 28-year-old Vincent Jr. at the Tanglewood Apartments on Alberta
00:31:37
Road. Police do not have sufficient evidence to seek warrants for France's arrest in
00:31:45
connection with Sunday's fatal shooting of Barbareetos restaurant worker Parker Killian Moore
00:31:52
during an armed robbery and the January 13th slaying of Chevron convenience store clerk Jack Kumar Patel, also
00:32:03
killed during an armed robbery. However, France cannot be ruled out as a suspect in all three slayings, Evans
00:32:12
said. Additionally, the climbing reward for information leading to the whereabouts and arrest of France has
00:32:19
reached up to $20,000, said Regional Crime Stoppers Warren Selby. Quote, "We're here today to reach out to
00:32:29
the community to say, please help the Warner Robins Police Department and these men and women solve these cases
00:32:39
and make the streets safer for our community. Making Regional Crime Stoppers, Warren
00:32:45
Selby said at the news conference. He goes on to say you may not think it's a significant piece of information, but
00:32:53
crimes are like a puzzle. Every little piece goes together to make a big picture, end quote. Daniel Bruce
00:33:03
France, who is known to law enforcement, has been seen in the middle Georgia area
00:33:11
and they state is likely armed and considered dangerous. Also, a separate reward of up to $10,000
00:33:20
was being offered in the Chevron slaying and $7,000 reward in the Barberitos killing, Selby said. The emphasis of the
00:33:31
reward money is on locating France because an arrest warrant has been issued and his arrest could possibly
00:33:39
solve the other two killings, Selby said. Photos of the shooter in the Barberitos
00:33:45
and Chevron armed robbery homicides taken from surveillance video are strikingly similar.
00:33:53
As are the similarities in the physical descriptions, clothing, mannerisms, and weapons, Chief Evans said. Reasons for a
00:34:02
possible link between the Tanglewood apartments and the Chevron slayings other than proximity in time and
00:34:10
location have not been disclosed by the police and the police chief declined to elaborate.
00:34:18
>> Well, with so many crimes, you only have to get this individual for one. Yes, you
00:34:23
want all the crimes solved, but if you can at least bring charges and get a conviction on
00:34:31
one of these crimes, that maybe you're able to well one you get the guy off the street.
00:34:36
>> Mhm. >> And so now you're protecting the community but maybe you can make a deal
00:34:41
if he pleads a guilty to one of the other crimes. >> Yes, permission to offer up a little
00:34:46
foreshadowing here captain. >> Go for it. >> Thank you. I want to circle back to what
00:34:52
was said at the press conference here. Uh Crime Stoppers Warren Selby said you may not think it's a significant piece
00:35:00
of information but crimes like a puzzle every little piece goes together to make
00:35:05
a big picture and quote this most certainly can be true emphasis on the word can.
00:35:12
Crimes are often times like a puzzle. Each piece is very important and valuable.
00:35:20
He said every little piece goes together to make a big picture. That is true as well but not all of the time. Sometimes
00:35:27
every little piece does not fit together. Remember my friends that every little piece
00:35:34
as it was called at the press conference every little piece of evidence is a clue but not every clue is
00:35:43
in fact evidence. Okay, so nothing but bad news right for the city of Warner Robins.
00:35:53
Nothing but bad news in that 10 day span once we get from the first call to the press conference. Nothing but bad news
00:36:03
for 10 days straight but finally we get a little bit of good news. And we get a very dangerous
00:36:11
individual off of the streets. So this would be just hours just hours after that press conference with Warner
00:36:20
Robins Police Department when accused killer Daniel Bruce France II was arrested. So this is
00:36:28
late that night France was located at a home on Scott Boulevard after a manhunt and a $20,000 Crime Stoppers
00:36:38
reward offered for information leading to France's whereabouts and arrest. Accused killer Daniel Bruce France II
00:36:48
was arrested alongside of two others. This is Michael Joseph Brent age 20 who lives at the residence
00:36:57
and a Montravious Deshawn Lewis age 22. He and this other guy were charged with hindering apprehension
00:37:09
of France at that home. The men told police that France was not inside the home several times before
00:37:17
eventually allowing officers to enter the home. This is all according to Warner Robins police.
00:37:24
They find France in the kitchen and he's taken into custody without incident. So, he's he's arrested. He's found at
00:37:33
this home. These two guys, they're harboring him there for whatever reason. When the police approach the home and
00:37:42
try to get in, they're like, "Nah, he's not here. Don't you know, look elsewhere."
00:37:46
>> lying pieces of [ __ ] >> There you go. And but they eventually let the police in. They find the guy
00:37:52
they're looking for France in the kitchen. Haul his ass in. He's arrested on murder and aggravated
00:38:00
assault charges. This is all from that January 13th slaying of 28-year-old Vincent Jr. at the Tanglewood
00:38:07
Apartments. >> And it makes you wonder how much information they had about all these crimes
00:38:14
and how much they were covering for this guy. >> Yeah, those guys and then what we also are going to learn
00:38:21
here now is All right, so we're going to get a little more detail on the suspect and
00:38:27
the incident that led to the murder at Tanglewood Apartments. This of course after the
00:38:32
arrest. And this makes total sense here because one this dude is wanted on other charges
00:38:40
that are outside of the Tanglewood Apartment murder. And two, as we said earlier
00:38:48
when this first when the news first breaks, we know there's ear witnesses because they're calling in shots fired
00:38:55
at this apartment complex. But there are eyewitnesses as well that are going to fill in the blanks as to what
00:39:04
all occurred leading up to that homicide. Of course police are not going to release all that
00:39:10
information when they are searching for their suspect, but we know reviewing this case that they had a lot of
00:39:17
information. Why? Because just days after they announce who they are looking for. And not just say, "Hey,
00:39:25
this is who we're looking for by name, we've also already charged him with the murder."
00:39:30
>> Right. >> So a little detail on the suspect in the incident uh is released after the
00:39:35
arrest. Police said that Daniel Bruce Fransen II was actually out. He was out free on bond
00:39:44
at the time when these three people were shot to death in Warner Robins in January of 2018.
00:39:51
He is charged The statement is he is charged in one killing and could be a suspect in the other two. He was also
00:39:57
wanted by Centerville police on an outstanding warrant. Fransen was charged with murder and aggravated assault in
00:40:06
the January 13th slaying of 28-year-old Vincent Junior at the Tanglewood Apartments on Alberta Road. Fransen, the
00:40:14
accused and Junior, the were heard arguing before shots were fired, police said. Franz's outstanding
00:40:23
warrant for a felony obstruction was for a felony obstruction charge for throwing
00:40:29
a fist and hitting a Centerville police sergeant in the face as the officer tried to arrest him back in August of
00:40:39
2017. >> In the face. >> Yeah, so he's he's arrested, hits the police officer. He's charged with that,
00:40:46
but then he gets out on bond. >> He's out on bond. >> He's out on bond, three people were
00:40:51
killed. And then he gets picked up for the murder of this Vincent Junior. So, Warner Robins police chief Brett
00:40:59
Evans said police do not have enough evidence to seek warrants for Franz's arrest in connection with
00:41:06
the other two slayings that took place in January, but emphasized that Franz could not be ruled out as a suspect
00:41:15
either. >> And like you said, he has an extensive criminal history. >> Absolutely. Absolutely. And
00:41:22
we need to fast forward just a little bit here to the following year, 2019, when Daniel Bruce Franza II of Warner
00:41:33
Robins was he's going to court now for that murder charge, for the murder of Vincent Junior.
00:41:40
Now, to be clear, at this time, he's suspected of having killed Jack Patel at the Chevron and Parker Killian Moore at
00:41:51
Barberitos, but has not been officially charged >> Right. >> in those two cases as of his court date for this murder
00:41:59
trial. At trial, and it doesn't sound like this trial lasted too long here. At trial, he was
00:42:06
found guilty of voluntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison after he was found guilty by a jury.
00:42:17
He was also found to be guilty of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. They also released details of
00:42:25
what occurred at the apartment. It says France shot and killed Vincent Jr. age 28
00:42:32
who was a Warner Robins public works employee inside Junior's apartment. Okay, so this all goes down.
00:42:41
We said earlier apartment 90. This was Junior's apartment at the Tanglewood Apartments. The
00:42:47
argument, according to testimony, was over a bag of marijuana. And according to the Houston County
00:42:56
District Attorney's Office the two had actually been friends. With friends like this, who needs
00:43:03
enemies, right? The two had actually been friends for many years. But on that evening,
00:43:11
witnesses testified that the men were arguing in the living room and that Junior had followed France into
00:43:18
the kitchen and robbed him of a bag of marijuana at gunpoint. >> Jesus. >> Okay, so the bad guy the the guy that's
00:43:26
ultimately charged with murder is in the kitchen and the victim comes in with a gun
00:43:32
and says, you know, give me that bag or takes the bag off of him. Afterward, the
00:43:36
victim Junior, he goes into the living room where there are other people present inside this apartment.
00:43:43
And he brags to those people that he just took, stole, or robbed the other guy of
00:43:51
the marijuana. >> Yeah, so evil dumb son of a [ __ ] >> Then France >> [snorts] >> comes from the back of the house and he
00:44:00
shoots Junior once in the left lower chest and then twice in the middle of the back, which ultimately causes the
00:44:08
death of Vincent Jr. Frantz then fled and as we now know was picked up days later after a manhunt looking for this
00:44:20
man. >> Surprisingly, he didn't try to punch police in the face again. >> Yes, he was arrested without incident.
00:44:28
>> But you said that he was charged in the one case. And he's going to get 25 years.
00:44:36
>> Yes, he gets 25 years in prison. It's a voluntary manslaughter conviction. And what is going to happen here is
00:44:46
from everything I've reviewed and from what the police were telling the public and
00:44:51
the DA as well, while they were pursuing this murder charge and they had a court date for this
00:45:00
trial, they were actively putting together a case against him for the other two murders. So, we're going to go
00:45:09
and charge him with this murder. They get the conviction and now they're still building a case against him in the
00:45:17
Chevron murder case and the Barberitos murder case. >> Three people were killed in less than 10
00:45:40
days. One at the Tangled Wood Apartments, one at the Chevron gas station, one at Barberitos restaurant.
00:45:45
Two of those crimes officially remain unsolved. Zach Merchant is live in Warner Robins with the latest on where
00:45:50
those cases stand. >> [music] >> Frank, the Barberitos here behind me just off of Watson Boulevard has seen a
00:45:59
steady stream of customers all day today. But back in the night of January 21st, that was not the case. This entire
00:46:05
area was blocked off by police after 23-year-old Barburritos employee Parker Killian Moore was shot dead in the
00:46:11
restaurant, and he wasn't even supposed to be there. He was filling in for someone else's shift. Now, over 6 months
00:46:17
later, his mom, Lia Moss, is still searching for answers. >> Not for a minute I don't think about I
00:46:23
mean, I wake up thinking about him. I go to sleep thinking about him. I think about him all day long.
00:46:31
>> Six months after 23-year-old Parker Killian Moore was gunned down while at work in the Warner Robins Barburritos,
00:46:37
his mom, Lia Moss, says she wants answers and so far hasn't gotten many. >> This feeling that they had somebody that
00:46:43
they were charging that if this to my child would I you know, I don't know what that's
00:46:49
going to feel like cuz I haven't had that yet. But, it it encouraging and heartbreaking that they don't.
00:46:56
>> Police have not charged anyone for Moore's murder, but Captain Chris Rooks with the Warner Robins Police
00:47:00
Department's Investigations Unit says police think they know who did it, Daniel Friends. He was arrested and
00:47:06
charged with murder for the fatal Tanglewood apartment shooting in January. Hours after that homicide,
00:47:11
someone gunned down a Chevron employee only a few miles away. And Rooks says he's certain the Chevron shooter also
00:47:18
pulled the trigger in Barburritos. Captain Rooks now says Friends is the primary suspect in those two unsolved
00:47:23
killings. >> It is important to know that we feel like the person that's responsible for
00:47:29
these crimes, um, he is in jail. We feel But, of course, we have to work the case and develop the
00:47:36
evidence to be able to charge him. That is still full force. >> Moss says she doesn't think anything
00:47:42
will erase her grief, but an arrest would help bring some measure of closure. And if Friends ends up being
00:47:47
charged, she says she wants him to pay. >> If he did do it, also, we need I don't
00:47:51
want I want the death penalty. That's what I would like to say. An eye for an eye.
00:47:58
>> All right, Captain Rooks would not say exactly what's holding up the case for
00:48:01
fear of compromising the investigation, but he says the department is still working hard and asking the public for
00:48:06
tips. Captain Rooks also says more than $14,000 in reward money has been paid out for tips related to the case and
00:48:12
there's still more money available. If you have information, you can call Macon Regional Crime Stoppers. That number is
00:48:18
1-877-68-CRIME. [music] >> [music] >> Join us back here in the garage for part two and until then
00:48:50
>> Be good, be kind, and don't litter. >> [music] [music] [music] >> Courage, I learned it from my adoptive
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mom. >> Hold my hand? >> You hold my hand. >> Learn about adopting a teen from foster
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care at adoptuskids.org. You can't imagine the reward. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the US Department of
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Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council.