'What were they trying to get rid of Mike Francke for?'
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Kevin and E. Patrick Francke said their brother's 1989 murder haunts them to this day, and they support a move by two Oregon legislators to have the FBI re-open the case to resolve what is now an unsolved crime.
In a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, House Majority Leader Ben Bowman and House Republican Leader Christine Drazan said the “lack of resolution in this case is a grave injustice to the Francke family and the State of Oregon.”
Michael Francke was the director of the Oregon Department of Corrections when he was stabbed through the heart outside the Dome building in Salem, which was the DOC's headquarters at the time.
The only suspect, meth dealer Frank Gable, was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison. But questions lingered through the decades. In 2019, Gable was released from prison after his conviction was reversed in federal court. Earlier this year, the Oregon Department of Justice acknowledged Gable was innocent. Current Oregon AG Dan Rayfield offered nearly $2 million in compensation to Gable.
Gable has filed a lawsuit against 24 investigators in the case.
The Francke brothers told KOIN 6 News they want the FBI to get to the bottom of what really happened. They maintain Michael Francke was murdered because he was about to expose corruption within the Corrections Department.
"The names have changed," Kevin said. "But the machine is still in place. I'm sure of that."
Patrick said all they've ever asked for "is the truth."
"They have the tools and the resources to do the state of the art DNA testing on Mike's clothing, his possessions," Kevin said, "and that's a good place to start."
Kevin said there is one question that should be at the top of the list: "What were they trying so desperately to hide to keep from coming out? That's what you and everybody else in the State of Oregon should be asking. And that's why the FBI should be deeply involved in this to find out. What were they trying to get rid of Mike Francke for?"
The brothers said the passage of 36 years has not healed their emotional wounds. They won't rest until they know why Michael Francke was killed and who wielded that knife on January 17, 1989.
"It's still very fresh in our minds," Patrick said.