Dad Claimed Son's Brain Bleed Self Inflicted, Now Admits Killing 6-Year-Old | Crime Alert 7PM 11.28.25

Franklin Elmore Jr. tells first responders his 6-year-old son became unresponsive after hitting himself in the head due to behavioral issues. ER Doctor and Trauma surgeon tell investigators the brain bleed and punctured lung are not self-inflicted.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Lord Hourly Update, Breaking Crime News Now.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
I'm Dave matt. On the night of August third, nine
to one one is called about an unresponsive six year
old boy, Justin Elmore. The boy's father, Franklin Elmore Junior,
and Elmore's wife, Justin stepmother, tell first responders the boy
was hitting himself in the head due to behavioral issues.
Justin Elmore didn't survive, and neither did the story told

(00:25):
by his father and stepmother. An e R doctor and
trauma surgeon tell investigators they do not believe all of
the injuries were self inflicted. Those injuries included a brain
bleed and a punctured lung, as well as numerous bruises
and abrasions all over his body. During an interview with investigators,
Franklin allegedly admitted to police he had spanked the boy

(00:46):
before with a belt and sometimes put a bar of
soap in his mouth. Neighbors tell police they have seen
the father being harsh to his son, making the boy
do lengthy physical exercises in the Yardranklin admits to investigators
that this is his preferred method of discipline for his son.
Investigators find surveillance video from the home showing Franklin Elmore

(01:09):
pacing in the yard with his hands on his head
before Cheyenne calls nine to one one. He can be
heard muttering the word jail as he walked back into
the house, searching the father in stepmother's phones. Police find
no evidence of the child injuring himself, but they find
video and pictures of the boy with severe bruises, and

(01:32):
even some images of the child locked in his playroom.
The investigation reveals on the night of Sunday, August third,
just before nine pm, Franklin Elmore Junior attacked his ten
year old son Justin in his playroom. When the boy
became unresponsive, the boys stepmother, Cheyenne, called nine to one one.
The father and stepmother were both arrested and charged with

(01:54):
murder for the death of a six year old boy.
Franklin Elmore Junior pleads guilty in his sentence to fifty
five years for the murder of his son Justin and
ten more years for aggravated crimes. During sentencing, Or apologized
for his wrongdoing, but asked the judge to shorten his term,
saying quote, I want to come out as a better man,

(02:15):
different man, that's all I can do. The judge dismissed
his statement, telling Elmore, you literally beat your son to death.
Geanne Elmore pleaded guilty earlier this month to being partly
responsible in Justine's death. Personencing is scheduled for January thirteenth,
twenty twenty six. More crime injustice news coming out. The

(02:47):
death of Anna Kavner, the eighteen year old cheerleader found
dead under a bed on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship,
has been ruled a homicide on the death certificate and
was caused by a mechanical asphyxia, adding that she was
mechanically asphyxiated by other person persons. This could be explained
as the result of asphyxiation from a bar hold or

(03:08):
an arm held across the neck. Furthermore, her body showed
no signs of sexual assault, nor were drugs or alcohol
found in her system. Anna's grandmother said Anna was not
feeling well at dinner, had a problem with her braces
and excused herself, but was feeling better and joined her
in the casino later that evening. The date of her
fatal injury is listed as November sixth. Anna's grandmother is

(03:31):
now talking about the stepbrother who is possibly suspected in
her killing while on the family vacation. No person of
interest or suspect in the case has been publicly named,
but Anna's stepbrother may be the subject to a criminal
investigation in connection with her death, according to court filings
by captainer's stepmother and the woman's ex husband. In an
unrelated matter, Anna's grandmother, Barbara Kepner, says Anna and her

(03:54):
stepbrother were very close to peas in a pod. She
also says the sixteen year.

Speaker 1 (03:59):
Old he was in a room with her. He was
the only one seen coming and going. So I can't
accuse him because I don't know what happened in that room,
but the summation would beat it that he did something.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
Talking about the stepbrother on ABC.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
He played soccer, very quiet young man. He had demons,
I think in his past and he was trying to
deal with those.

Speaker 2 (04:24):
No details are given on what she means by demons
in this past, but the grandmother was present for part
of the FBI interrogation of the boy.

Speaker 1 (04:33):
I heard him, in his own words say he does
not remember what happened.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
The teen stepbrother reportedly hospitalized soon after her body was
found earlier this month. No reason has been given or
how long he was in the hospital, but it was
a mental health hospital. The attorney for chan Tell, Kapner's
ex husband alleges in court documents that Anna and her
sixteen year old stepbrother were allowed to drink alcoholic beverage

(05:00):
since the cruise was in international waters and contended Chantell
was not exercising appropriate supervision. Chantell's attorney, Millicent Athansen, pushed
back hard against this claim, citing videotapes from the ship
that showed no evidence of drinking. Anna had no alcohol
or drugs in her system when she died. Anna's father

(05:20):
wants his step son to face the consequences in the death,
and her biological mother, Heather Right, asks why was her
eighteen year old daughter sharing a cabin with a sixteen
year old boy. Wright has not been a big part
of Anna's life for many years, claiming her ex and
his father has painted her as the bad guy, and

(05:41):
that he initially left her out of Anna's online obituary
and banned her from attending the memorial service, threatening he
would have her thrown in jail for unpaid child support,
forcing her to go in secret. She also places blame
on her ex Christopher Kepner saying quote, he put them
in the same room together for the late is crime
and justice news. Follow the Crime Alert hourly update on

(06:03):
your favorite podcast app with this crime Alert. I'm Dave,
Matt