QUOTE OF THE DAY: "The brothers said the passage of 36 years has not healed their emotional wounds. They won’t rest until they know why Michael Francke was killed and who wielded that knife on January 17, 1989. “It’s still very fresh in our minds,” Patrick said."
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STORY: "What were they trying to get rid of Mike Francke for?, by Reporter Ken Boddie, published by KOIN one April 15, 2025. (Ken Boddie is the host of KOIN’s weekly political interview program, “Eye on Northwest Politics”, in which he interviews political and business leaders from across the Northwest. Ken is also a veteran KOIN anchor and reporter, having been co-anchor of “KOIN 6 NEWS THIS MORNING” for 8 years, and before that, weekend anchor. Ken also produced and hosted a weekly segment called “Where We Live”, which gave Portland viewers the backstory of local landmarks, events, street names, and historical figures.)
SUB-HEADING: "Michael Francke's 1989 murder is now an unsolved crime."
GIST: "Kevin and E. Patrick Francke said their brother’s 1989 murder haunts them to this day, and they support a move by two Oregon legislators to have the FBI re-open the case to resolve what is now an unsolved crime.
In a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, House Majority Leader Ben Bowman and House Republican Leader Christine Drazan said the “lack of resolution in this case is a grave injustice to the Francke family and the State of Oregon.”
Michael Francke was the director of the Oregon Department of Corrections when he was stabbed through the heart outside the Dome building in Salem, which was the DOC’s headquarters at the time.
Oregon lawmakers want FBI to reopen Francke murder case
The only suspect, meth dealer Frank Gable, was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison. But questions lingered through the decades. In 2019, Gable was released from prison after his conviction was reversed in federal court. Earlier this year, the Oregon Department of Justice acknowledged Gable was innocent. Current Oregon AG Dan Rayfield offered nearly $2 million in compensation to Gable.
Gable has filed a lawsuit against 24 investigators in the case.
The Francke brothers told KOIN 6 News they want the FBI to get to the bottom of what really happened. They maintain Michael Francke was murdered because he was about to expose corruption within the Corrections Department.
“The names have changed,” Kevin said. “But the machine is still in place. I’m sure of that.”
Patrick said all they’ve ever asked for “is the truth.”
“They have the tools and the resources to do the state of the art DNA testing on Mike’s clothing, his possessions,” Kevin said, “and that’s a good place to start.”
Kevin said there is one question that should be at the top of the list: “What were they trying so desperately to hide to keep from coming out? That’s what you and everybody else in the State of Oregon should be asking. And that’s why the FBI should be deeply involved in this to find out. What were they trying to get rid of Mike Francke for?”
The brothers said the passage of 36 years has not healed their emotional wounds. They won’t rest until they know why Michael Francke was killed and who wielded that knife on January 17, 1989.
“It’s still very fresh in our minds,” Patrick said."
The entire story can be read at:
https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/what-were-they-trying-to-get-rid-of-mike-francke-for/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
———————————————————————————————
FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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