Murder of Toddler Leads to Life Sentence: Office of State Attorney, First Judicial Circuit of Florida
On April 26, 2023, Frederick Franken, Sr., entered a plea of no contest as charged in his Indictment, to First Degree Premeditated Murder for the death of his three-year-old son. The Honorable Circuit Judge Terrance R. Ketchel sentenced Mr. Franken to a mandatory prison sentence of life without parole.
On March 15, 2019, Mr. Franken sent his wife photos of their three-year-old son throughout the day. He also emptied his bank account and mailed his cell phone to his daughter who lived out of the country. Mr. Franken then went home and stabbed his son to death before stabbing himself. He laid on the floor with his son for his wife to find them when she came home from work.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Michelle Sandler on behalf of Ginger Bowden Madden, State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit. Mrs. Sandler stated: “Justice prevailed for the victim. The hard work of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office ensured that the State Attorney could guarantee that Mr. Franken will spend the rest of his life in prison for his horrific actions in taking the life of his own child.”
