Middletown soldier, wife found slain at Fort Hood

Middletown soldier, wife found slain at Fort Hood
01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, September 30, 2010
By By Richard salit and amanda milkovits

Journal staff writers
A soldier from Middletown and his wife were found shot to death in their home at Fort Hood, Texas, in an apparent murder-suicide.

Sgt. Michael Timothy Franklin, 31, and his wife, Jessie Anne Yeager-Franklin, 29, were found dead on Sunday at the massive Army post. Franklin, a decorated soldier who served two tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom, was the latest in a series of confirmed and suspected suicides at the base.

The couple leave behind a 6-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son, and their grieving families. Franklin’s mother, Beverly, awoke neighbors in her apartment complex in Middletown with her screams of grief when she was notified of the deaths of her son and daughter-in-law. “It was really sad,” said neighbor Yamaris Espinet. “It hit everybody hard to find out about that.”

Officials from the Rhode Island National Guard met with the family Wednesday and later issued a statement on their behalf, saying the couple’s families remained “inconsolable.”

“Though the family may not know the final circumstances which led to this tragedy, we are mindful and proud of Michael’s devotion to his country while volunteering for two tours in Iraq, for which he received numerous awards and decorations,” the statement read, on behalf of Beverly Franklin. “We ask for our privacy and for the public to keep both our families in their prayers at this time.”
Middletown soldier, wife found slain at Fort Hood