*UPDATE @ 4:03 PM*- Jury Deadlocked in Dothan Cold Case Murder Trial of Store Owner 10:00 AM
***UPDATE***
Plea Deal Reached in Dothan Cold Case Murder Trial
DOTHAN . — A plea agreement has closed the book on a 2010 cold case after Shonqueze Tyrell Franklin admitted guilt in the shooting death of Grace Bridges.
Franklin, whose trial began Monday, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received a 20-year sentence with a three-year split. He will serve those three years day-for-day in state prison. He had previously faced a murder charge.
Jurors deliberated for two days but remained fifty-fifty, prompting renewed talks that resulted in the plea. Franklin was arrested in April after a man serving time on an unrelated conviction told investigators Franklin had confessed to the crime years earlier. That witness testified this week.
Bridges, 69, was found shot outside her South Park Avenue furniture store in March 2010. Franklin was 17 at the time, and his identity was not made public until his arrest in this case.
The plea brings an end to a case that has weighed on the Dothan community for nearly 15 years
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DOTHAN.
The future of a nearly 16-year-old murder case remains uncertain as jurors struggle to reach a verdict in the trial of Shonqueze Franklin, the man accused of killing longtime business owner Grace Bridges.
Franklin is charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Bridges, who operated a small furniture store on South Park Avenue. If found guilty of murder, he could face a life sentence. But after hours of deliberation on Wednesday, the jury reported they could not come to a unanimous decision
Houston County Circuit Judge Henry D. “Butch” Binford instructed the group to return Thursday morning and continue their discussions, reminding them that another trial would present the same evidence they have already heard.
It is unclear whether the disagreement among jurors centers around convicting Franklin of murder, a lesser charge such as manslaughter, or whether they are leaning toward acquittal.
According to multiple sources, there were conversations about a possible plea agreement while deliberations were underway, though those talks did not produce any resolution.
Prosecutors, led by Assistant District Attorney Michaela Cochrane, presented primarily circumstantial evidence and testimony claiming Franklin admitted involvement to someone he knew. The defense countered that the case lacked solid proof and emphasized that several other potential suspects were investigated over the years.
Bridges, 69, dedicated many years of her life to nursing before turning her love for home furnishings into a small business venture. Her family described her as joyful and proud of the work she built.
Her life was cut short on a spring afternoon in 2010 when an individual entered her store and shot her during what authorities believe was a robbery attempt gone wrong. The case finally moved forward when Franklin, who was 17 at the time of the killing, was indicted earlier this year, reopening the chance for justice in a case that haunted the community for years.
As jurors resume deliberations, whether that justice comes now — or must wait for another trial — remains to be seen.
