Prosecutors: Dentist Did More Than Kill Mistress's Toddler

Jury selection on Bert Franklin's murder trial didn't begin Monday as planned—because things took a dark and unexpected turn. KFOR explains the married Tulsa dentist is to stand trial for the July 2016 death of Lincoln Lewis, the 19-month-old child of the woman he'd been dating for about a year. Franklin is accused of throwing the toddler to the ground and kicking him; the police report described a "severe" injury to the child's head, reports KOTV. On Monday—in a move that Franklin's lawyer had no idea was coming—prosecutors said they were ready to file another charge against him: conspiracy to commit murder. Per a court affidavit cited by the Oklahoman, they allege that Franklin approached an inmate in the Oklahoma County Jail and inquired about "the possibility of killing a witness in the murder case."

That witness, say prosecutors, was Franklin's mistress and the toddler's mother, Roxanne Lewis Randall. Prosecutors say the inmate Franklin spoke to was an informant who spoke to investigators. Other informants became involved, with Franklin ultimately being given a recordable cellphone by one and allegedly convincing his wife to move $300 into the account of another for, he told her, "spiritually related reasons." The affidavit alleges that on Friday, Franklin placed a call to a third inmate who wasn't incarcerated and provided directions to Randall's house and details regarding her security cameras and large dog. The prosecution, which last week offered Franklin a plea deal that would have him serve 30 years (he turned it down), are expected to push to try the two charges together. (This 11-year-old is in prison because her mother is a serial killer.)