Naman Shrestha
Christine Franke had her entire life ahead of her when it was suddenly cut short in October 2001. Her brutal homicide left the entire community shell-shocked and had a scarring impact on her family and friends. Despite finding evidence at the crime scene, the detectives couldn’t get to the bottom of the case until more than a decade later, thanks to a genetic genealogy technology. All the intricate details of the case and the years-long investigation that ensued are explored in the episode titled ‘Justice for Christine’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘On the Case With Paula Zahn.’
Christine Franke Was Killed Inside Her House in Orlando
Born on August 13, 1976, in West Islip, New York, Christine Franke was a free-spirited woman who lived life on her own terms. In 1985, when she was about 9 years old, her parents, Tina and John Franke Jr., moved the family to Vero Beach in Indian River County, Florida. She grew up in an Italian household packed with the warmth, love, and laughter of her mother, father, and siblings — brother John and sisters Barbara and Maria. She graduated from Vero Beach High School in 1994 and had dreamt of becoming an elementary school teacher. She was a bright, determined, and independent individual who had relocated to Orlando to achieve her goals and build a great life for herself.
Christine had enrolled at the University of Central Florida to pursue her higher education and was just two months shy of graduation. To finance her lifestyle, the 25-year-old worked as a server at Cigarz at CityWalk at Universal Studios Orlando. She resided at the Colonial Gardens Apartments on Plaza Terrace Drive with a friend. While she was just a couple of hours’ drive from Vero Beach, the hustle and bustle of daily life made it challenging for her to take time out to visit her family as much as she wanted to. She had wrapped up a double shift in the morning of October 21, 2001, and reportedly earned around $300 in tips. At the time, her roommate was not in town. When she was unable to reach Christine, she asked the neighbors to check their apartment.
When the neighbor reportedly reached their residence, they were greeted by a horrific sight. Christine was unresponsive, lying face down, partially undressed, around the entrance of the door. When the police arrived, they declared Christine dead due to a gunshot wound to her head. Her wallet was tossed on the floor, and the police determined that she had been robbed of the tip she earned earlier in the day. While the authorities recovered seminal fluid on Christine’s body, the medical report divulged she had not been raped. The police proceeded to collect the fluid and other evidence and immediately began investigating the murder.
The Killer Was Traced Through an Advanced Genealogy Technique
As part of the investigation, the authorities submitted all the pieces of evidence, including the sample of semen they recovered from the crime scene, to the state crime lab in order to develop a profile and enter it into the national criminal database. Over the following years, the detectives also compared the DNA profiles of several potential suspects to the DNA evidence found at the site. Unfortunately, neither approach yielded any results. More than half a decade went by without any concrete leads, until the advanced genetic genealogy technology cracked the case wide open. In 2018, when the DNA data from the Christine Franke crime scene was entered into GEDmatch, a third-party genealogy database, the authorities managed to assemble a list of 1,500 individuals with similar DNA profiles to the suspect’s.
The investigation soon led the detectives to a 79-year-old woman named Eleanor Holmes, who lived in Valdosta, Georgia. In late October 2018, they collected her DNA sample and learned that “the DNA profile from (semen at the crime scene) is consistent with being the biological child of Eleanor Holmes.” She had two sons — Reginal and Benjamin Holmes — both of whom resided in Orlando, Florida. At first, the police tracked the former and eliminated him as a suspect when his DNA did not match the DNA of the killer found at the crime scene. Then, they turned all their focus on Benjamin and began surveilling him closely. After collecting a sample of his DNA from a discarded cigar butt in public property, the authorities submitted it to the FDLE crime lab.
The report stated, “The DNA profile from the small cigar analyzed WAS A MATCH as a contributor to the suspect DNA sample. Based on this information, Benjamin Lee Holmes Jr. is the suspect in the murder of Christine Franke.” Thus, on November 2, Benjamin was arrested and charged with the murder of Christine Franke. Upon his arrest, the accused denied having anything to do with the crime. At the time, he was a Rendy’s restaurant manager who had a few run-ins with the law dating back to 2001, including probation violations, domestic violence, and drug charges.
Benjamin Holmes is Currently Incarcerated at a Florida Prison Facility
After Benjamin Holmes pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, he stood trial for the first-degree murder of Christine Franke on January 30, 2023. The defense claimed that the defendant was framed for the murder, stating, “(The DNA evidence) was planted by someone who knew the victim to deflect attention away from someone else.” They also argued that the prosecution lacked any evidence other than that to connect Benjamin to the crime scene, including hair, shoeprints, or fingerprints. Meanwhile, the prosecution emphasized the DNA evidence against the accused.
After more than a week into the trial, the jury deliberated on February 7 and reached a verdict. Benjamin was convicted of killing 25-year-old Christine on October 21, 2001, during a robbery at her Audubon Park house. Christine’s mother, Tina, took the stand and expressed her relief. She stated, “It’s a burden our family can let go of now. We’ve carried it for 21 years. I feel like justice has been served. They never gave up on my daughter. Not for 21 years, even if there was nothing to be found, they were still trying to find it. I’m eternally grateful.” More than a month later, on March 23, the convict was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
During the sentencing, the killer took the stand and addressed the court. Maintaining his innocence, he stated, “I am not the man or the person who murdered Christine Franke. It hurts… Unfortunately, I’m the man who was found guilty.” Meanwhile, Tina also stated after the sentencing. “We’ve waited 22 years for this. If someone’s accused wrong, I would never want that to happen but the evidence all just points to him. That DNA doesn’t lie,” she said. As of today, Benjamin Holmes is serving his sentence at the West Unit of Florida State Prison in Raiford, Florida.
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