Saturday, January 27, 2007

Newberry, South Carolina

From Columbia’s WIStv.com of January 27, 2007
Injured wife says she killed husband in self defense

A domestic dispute left one dead and another seriously injured in Newberry County Friday night. The wife says she shot her husband to protect herself.

"If it happened the way I have been told it happened, he needed what he got," says neighbor Talmadge Ellisor.

Ellisor is talking about his next door neighbor, 63-year old Dennis Franklin. He was found shot to death inside his Newberry home Friday night.

Investigators say his wife, 59-year-old Cynthia Franklin, fired the shots that killed him. When officers responded to the home, they found her suffering serious wounds to her head, face, and upper body.

She had been hit several times with a large stick similar to a handle on a wooden tool.

"Her husband was a good-sized man. Cynthia had heart problems, and as far as I know she had to do it in self defense," Ellisor told News 10.

Residents on Pine Hill Circle are upset by what happened last night, but they're not surprised. That's because this is not the first time law enforcement has been called to the home of Cynthia and Dennis Franklin.

"A couple neighbors told us law enforcement had been there before and that there had been domestic disputes there before but, that as a general rule they would keep to themselves," says Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster.

"I would say they both were loner type people, they didn't mingle very much," says Ellisor.

The Newberry County Sheriff's Department is still reviewing the case to determine what action should be taken. Cynthia Franklin is still in the hospital and her condition is listed as stable.

Her neighborhood, however, is not.

"I'm sure if I would do my wife that way, that I would deserve what happened," Ellisor says.
From Columbia’s WIStv.com of January 29, 2007
911 tape of Newberry woman who killed husband in self defense

News 10 has obtained the 911 call from a Newberry County woman who said she killed her husband.

We've transcribed the exact words Cynthia Franklin told a dispatcher when she said her husband was beating her and that she killed him to save her life.

Dispatcher: Newberry County 911.

CF: Yes, ma'am, this is Cynthia Franklin
.

Cynthia Franklin dialed 911 from home Friday night.

CF: My husband's been drinking and he started beating me up. He started hitting me on top of the head with a big old stick.

Cynthia told the dispatcher her husband Dennis was so enraged, she thought he'd kill her. So, she said she fought back.

CF: He's on the floor in my bedroom and I shot him.

Dispatcher: You shot him?

CF: Um-Hm. I had to. He was killing me.

Dispatcher: Ok.

CF: No, this is self defense!
.

Cynthia said she shot her husband dead in their bedroom with a gun they kept for protection.

"She was beaten bad," says Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster. "He was capable to continue, and I don't feel she had any other choice."

Sheriff Foster says Cynthia has injuries to her head, arms and back. He also says charges against her are unlikely.

Cynthia is in her late 50s. Her husband was in his 60s. Investigators say the couple was married 40 years and had four daughters. But reports show Friday night wasn't the first time Cynthia called 911 from their home.

Officers arrested Dennis Franklin in 1999 for making a threat against Cynthia. Records show Cynthia did not want to press charges, telling investigators she was "stuck" because she relied on her husband's insurance for medicine she needed for her heart.

Dennis Franklin went to an anger class, and charges were dismissed.

Fast forward to Friday, when Cynthia thought she was so hurt, she might die.

.CF:If I don't make it would you please tell my girls - I have 4 girls - I'm doing what I can. But will you tell them that I love them and I'm sorry this happened. I didn't know he was going to do this and he was set on killing me tonight..

She's now out of the hospital, recovering with her girls away from the place that was both her home and house filled with fear.
From Columbia’s WLTX.com of February 26, 2007
Prosecutors: Woman Killed Her Husband in Self-Defense

Prosecutors have decided that a fatal domestic shooting in Newberry County last month was done in self-defense.

Eighth Circuit Solicitor Jerry Peace determined that the female victim in the case, 59-year-old Cynthia Franklin, took appropriate actions to save her life, and that no charges will be filed in the case.

Deputies say Cynthia Franklin shot to death her husband, 63-year-old Dennis Franklin, back on January 26. Officers say the two got into a domestic dispute.

Investigators say they found the woman suffering significant wounds to her head, face, and upper body. They say there were obvious signs of a violent struggle in the home and that Cynthia was struck multiple times with a large stick.

Cynthia also told authorities she was trying to get away and made it to the bedroom where the pistol was kept, then shot her husband as he tried to attack her.

"This was a tragic situation," said Sheriff Foster in a written release. "While we certainly agree with the decision not to prosecute Mrs. Franklin, she and her family are left to deal with the devastating effects of this incident."

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