Charges Filed In Deaths Of Detroit Landlord, Daughter During Eviction

DETROIT (AP) - Murder charges were filed Monday in the deaths of a father and daughter who were shot while evicting residents from a Detroit home purchased through foreclosure.

Howard Franklin, 72, acquired the house at a tax foreclosure sale in October but had allowed people to stay for a while, said Sgt. Michael Woody.

Shots were fired Friday during a dispute over the removal of fixtures. Franklin and daughter Catherine Franklin, 37, were killed.

"They were not squatters," Woody said. "It's a landlord-tenant issue."

Alonzo Long Jr., 22, described as a nephew of the home's occupant, was charged with first-degree murder and other crimes. He was arraigned and returned to jail without bond. It wasn't immediately known whether he has a lawyer.

Wayne County recently served foreclosure notices on 75,000 properties because of unpaid taxes, including 62,000 in Detroit, The Detroit News reported. Many houses are occupied.

"The eviction process was completed Friday," Woody told the newspaper. "That's when the father and daughter showed up with the eviction order."

Deputy county treasurer David Szymanski said it can be an emotional matter.

"That conflict dynamic is in place in a lot of locations," said Pam Weinstein, who lives in Rosedale Park, the Detroit neighborhood where the Franklins were killed. "The new buyers are going to want the previous owners out. I hope it's not a pattern."

Long returns to court on Dec. 11 to determine whether the case will go to trial.

Murder