Knife found in trash can in case of woman charged with killing boyfriend, police say
A woman who was charged with murder in the killing this month of her boyfriend in Arlington also was accused of assaulting him in July.
Leah Franklin, 31, stabbed Antonio Merle, 30, in his chest in a house in the 5700 block of Prescott Drive on Jan. 11, law enforcement authorities have alleged.
When officers interviewed her at the house, Franklin said the couple was leaving a nightclub when someone “poked” Merle, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in the case. She told more than one version of the story, saying both that she was present when Merle was cut and that she was not, the affidavit states.
Another person in the house told an Arlington police detective that Franklin and Merle had been together there since 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 11, when they were yelling. The person, whose relationship to the victim and suspect is not described in the affidavit, saw about 10:45 pm. that Merle had been stabbed.
Police found in a kitchen garbage can a small knife with an orange handle, according to the affidavit.
On July 2 in Fort Worth, Franklin struck Merle with a metal broom or a piece of wood and used or exhibited a knife, a Tarrant County grand jury determined. Franklin was indicted on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Police redacted a portion of the affidavit in the murder case.
Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested Franklin in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Jan. 18, and she is awaiting extradition to Tarrant County.
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 6:25 PM.
