High-profile Oregon murder now the focus of a popular podcast
Kelsey Watts
SALEM, OR (KPTV) - The high-profile 1989 murder of Michael Francke, the former director of the Oregon Department of Corrections, is now the subject of a wildly popular podcast.
The iHeart Radio production is called “Murder in Oregon” and is hosted by Lauren Bright Pacheco. Francke’s brothers, Pat and Kevin, say they are both very happy with how it’s been done and are grateful for the renewed attention on their brother’s murder.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Kevin Francke said. “…In my mind, it has never been a solved case.”
“Lauren has done an exceptional job of defining this case and separating all the different pieces and parts,” Pat Francke said. “…We are addressing a whole new generation of people who have no knowledge of this case and they need to know about it.”
Two episodes have been released so far, and according to Apple’s list of most popular podcasts, it’s sitting at number three in the true crime category and number 12 overall.
It was Jan. 17, 1989, when Francke was stabbed outside his office in Salem. It was initially called a car burglary gone bad, but his brothers say it was a conspiracy involving a botched investigation and a “patsy” who was pinned for the crime but was innocent.
Frank Gable spent 29 years in prison for the murder, but earlier this year, a judge
overturned his conviction and he was released.
RELATED: Statement from Federal Public Defender's Office regarding Gable ruling
The State of Oregon
is appealing that ruling, but Francke’s brothers have always believed that Gable is innocent.
“There’s more than one victim,” Kevin Francke said. “You’ve got Frank Gable, who lost 29 years of his life and my brother, who lost all of his.”
The podcast explores Francke’s rise in the New Mexico Department of Corrections, his move to Oregon, and the corruption he was said to be investigating when he was killed.
The series includes the perspectives of those who worked with him, those who covered the case, and, of course, his brothers who traveled to the scene of the crime with the show’s producers.
“We’re going to let this podcast play out,” Pat Francke said of next steps in the case. “We’re collecting information, there are calls and information coming back to us now, and I think this is going to generate more leads and information, and that will be telling going forward.”
Kevin Francke added that he hopes the State of Oregon will drop its appeal related to Gable’s conviction.
“If the state would just simply drop their appeal and say we were wrong, then the case could be officially reopened and we could get on with our lives and get on with the prosecution of the individuals who were involved in the murder,” Kevin Francke said. “…I will not rest until the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
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