Viswa Vanapalli
Franklin Bradshaw was a well-known businessman in the community of Salt Lake City, Utah. However, the beloved man was found shot to death at his store one morning in July 1978. Investigation Discovery’s ‘A Crime to Remember: Mother’s Little Helper’ delves into how a years-long inquiry led the authorities to Franklin’s youngest daughter and her son as the ones responsible for the slaying. So, let’s find out what happened then, shall we?
How Did Franklin Bradshaw Die?
Franklin James Bradshaw was born in Lehi in Utah County but had been a long-time resident of Salt Lake City at the time of the incident. A workaholic who believed in frugality, the 76-year-old was worth a lot of money, but his appearance belied that. Franklin owned several auto parts stores in the area and was always working. In addition, he had invested in federal oil and gas leases, making him worth a lot of money. At the time, he was married to Berenice, and they had four children together.
At around 9 am on July 23, 1978, someone who came to one of Franklin’s stores saw him dead behind the counter. Once the authorities arrived, they noticed that Franklin had been shot once in the back and another time in the back of the head. His pockets were turned out in addition to his wallet and the store’s cash register being empty. It seemed like Franklin was the victim of a robbery gone wrong.
Who Killed Franklin Bradshaw?
The authorities believed that Franklin died sometime after 7 am since he left home at around 6:45 am as per his usual routine. At the time, the investigation didn’t get very far because there were no witnesses or anything else that led them to the killer. In the aftermath, the family received the inheritance, and the police kept a close eye on how each one spent the money.
It wasn’t until 1980 that the case gained traction again, this time in New York. There, Marilyn, one of Franklin’s daughters, turned up at a police station with a gun. According to her, Franklin’s youngest daughter, Frances Schreuder, owed someone money, and that man had the gun. He then gave it to Marilyn, who went to the police. After confirming that the gun was indeed the murder weapon, they followed the trail to Midland, Texas.
There, they spoke to Jon Cavenaugh, who recognized the gun and remembered that Frances’ son, Marc Schreuder, had previously bought a firearm in Texas. So, the authorities now had an unlikely suspect for the murder. Marc, at the time of the incident, was only 17-years-old. As per the show, Marc seemed to have an alibi; he was in New York when Franklin was killed. Then, the police looked at flight details and learned that he flew to Midland on July 18, 1978.
Investigation revealed that Marc bought a gun on July 22, 1978, and then flew to Salt Lake City. He left for New York on July 23 at around 9:35 am. According to the show, Richard Behrens, the man who gave the gun to Marilyn, later stated that Marc confessed to killing his grandfather. The authorities then realized that while Marc pulled the trigger, Frances was the one manipulating her son.
Frances wanted the inheritance money and had tried several times in the past to have her father killed. At one point, she even had Marc and his brother, Larry, steal about $200,000 in cash, stocks, and checks from Franklin. Once he learned about it, he cut off all financial assistance to Frances. Marc, who was seen as an impressionable teenager devoted to his mother, later testified, “If she wanted you to do something, it was very difficult to say no. You didn’t say no to Mom.”
Where is Marc Schreuder Today?
The authorities finally learned that Marc flew down to Salt Lake City, went to Franklin’s warehouse at around 7 am, and waited. After the 76-year-old arrived, they talked for a few minutes before Marc pulled the trigger when Franklin was turned around. He fled the scene after making it look like a robbery. Ultimately, Marc was tried as an adult and found guilty of second-degree murder in 1982.
He served 12 years in prison for it before being released in 1994. Since then, Marc has maintained a low profile, and it’s unclear what he currently does. A 2004 report stated that he lived in Provo, Utah, which remains his last known location. While Marc earned a building construction degree while in prison, he was reported to be working for a nutritional and personal-care products company.
