Shreveport Man Found Guilty of Shooting Girlfriend 20 Times

A Shreveport man who shot his former girlfriend 20 times in June 2021 was found guilty of second-degree murder Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Caddo District Court.

It took less than a half-hour of deliberation for the seven-man, five-woman jury in District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr.'s court to return its unanimous verdict against Benjamin D. Franklin, 26.

Testimony and evidence admitted at trial proved that Franklin entered the apartment of his former girlfriend in the 9000 block of Mansfield Road on June 3, 2021, and shot her 20 times. He did this to prevent her from identifying him as the perpetrator of an earlier armed robbery of a convenience store. Franklin also stole the victim's personal property to pawn in the days following the murder. A search of Franklin's residence led to police recovering the murder weapon and personal property of the victim that Franklin tried to destroy. Franklin pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, a defense countered by a state medical expert.

Assistant District Attorneys Jason Waltman and Christopher Bowman prosecuted the case. Lesley Kelly defended Franklin.

At sentencing May 14, 2024, Franklin faces a mandatory life prison sentence.

The case was docket No. 383356.