Man sentenced for murdering Richmond woman in front of her children

(KRON) — On Friday, a Contra Costa County judge sentenced a man to spend the rest of his life in prison for murdering his ex-girlfriend in front of her two children.

The victim, 30-year-old Rashanda Franklin, was attempting to drop off her young sons at school in a church parking lot on the morning of April 4, 2017. Her ex-boyfriend, Lawyer Dushan McBride, was waiting for her in the parking lot.

He fatally shot Franklin while she was on the phone with 911 dispatchers and her children were still in the car, prosecutors said.

Judge Mary Ann O’Malley sentenced 51-year-old McBride to serve 95 years to life in state prison.

Leading up to the killing, Franklin ended a two-year-long relationship. Following the breakup, the jilted ex-boyfriend stalked and harassed his ex-girlfriend for weeks, prosecutors said.

On April 4, 2017, Franklin spotted McBride waiting in a car in the church’s parking lot, called 911, and drove away.

McBride followed his ex-girlfriend to the intersection of 29th Street and Rheem Avenue in Richmond while she was on the phone with emergency dispatchers. He cut Franklin’s car off at an intersection and walked up to it, prosecutors said.

“The 911 recording captured Franklin’s desperate plea: ‘I’ve got my kids in the car,'” the DA’s Office wrote.

The ex-boyfriend replied, “I ain’t playing with you,” pulled out a gun, and shot her at close range in front of her sons, according to prosecutors.

District Attorney Diana Becton said, “This tragic case underscores the devastating reality of domestic violence, which claims far too many lives. While no verdict can bring back a mother taken from her children in such a senseless act of violence, this sentence provides the victim’s family with a measure of justice and accountability. It also sends a clear message that stalking and harassment are warning signs that must be taken seriously, and that those who perpetrate such violence will be held responsible under the law.”

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 76% of women who were murdered by an intimate partner were stalked first.

For anyone experiencing domestic violence, help is available at Contra Costa’s Family Justice Centers, or by calling STAND! For Families Free From Violence at 1-888-215-5555.