Lee Franck
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — A rescheduled trial date has been set for Lee Franck, the man accused of killing his former girlfriend’s father after an argument in 2018.
A Marathon County judge set the three-week trial to run between August 30th and September 20th, 2021. Franck had originally been set to go to trial in February of this year, but that was initially delayed after his attornies pulled out of the case.
His trial was then set for late May, but that was called off due to the COVID-19 impact on the court system.
Franck is accused of killing Lyle Leith, who was the father of his girlfriend at the time, because of a dispute over his relationship with the woman. Franck is said to have threatened the Leith family numerous times, saying things like “you will all pay” after the woman broke up with him.
Leith was beaten to death with a metal pipe. His body was then found by his daughter in his garage the next morning.
Investigators say they believe Franck tried to cover up evidence of the crime with bleach, adding that there was a strong chemical smell coming from his home when they caught up with him. A pipe was also found in a burn pit at his home in Northern Wisconsin.
Franck will have one last motion hearing on January 29th before the trial begins. He faces one count of first-degree intentional homicide and a count of disorderly conduct in the case.
The homicide charge alone carries a mandatory life sentence with only the possibility of parole to be considered.
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