Was Franklin Delano Floyd a serial killer??

[ctgrumpybear]

It a simple qustion we know that Franklin Delano Floyd has killed up to 3 peoples over the years but could there be more. I have seen folks trying to tie him to the Missing Fort Worth Trio and maybe the death of his brother. So we think he could have kill before??

[Killarney Rose]

Highly probable......

[Steve W.]

I would guess yes. He seems like an archetype of the known sociopathic serial killers.

[dynoguy88]

The murders that we know of (and suspect) don't seem like killings typical of a serial killer. Serial killers get off on killing anyone that happens to be in their path at the absolute worst time. And the victims are almost always people the killer doesn't know.

Floyd's victims, for the most part were people he knew and they fell into the category of people that he wanted to dispose of when they became a burden to him. And one woman he tortured mercilessly before killing her was a revenge murder after she had gone out of her way to intentionally cross him.

Although in the book, "A beautiful child," there is an attack mentioned when Floyd was working as a maintenance worker in an apartment complex and he had keys to all the apartments. A woman came home one day to find Floyd in her bedroom sniffing her underwear and when he saw her, he lunged toward her and started stabbing her with a knife. She was saved only because her boyfriend walked in several seconds later and stopped the attack.

If not for the boyfriend, she would have been a murder victim that Floyd didn't know. So it's hard to categorize exactly. Floyd is just a crazy, sick f*ck. And I'm glad he's in prison where he belongs.

[WishfulDreamer]

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

The murders that we know of (and suspect) don't seem like killings typical of a serial killer. Serial killers get off on killing anyone that happens to be in their path at the absolute worst time. And the victims are almost always people the killer doesn't know.

Floyd's victims, for the most part were people he knew and they fell into the category of people that he wanted to dispose of when they became a burden to him. And one woman he tortured mercilessly before killing her was a revenge murder after she had gone out of her way to intentionally cross him.

Although in the book, "A beautiful child," there is an attack mentioned when Floyd was working as a maintenance worker in an apartment complex and he had keys to all the apartments. A woman came home one day to find Floyd in her bedroom sniffing her underwear and when he saw her, he lunged toward her and started stabbing her with a knife. She was saved only because her boyfriend walked in several seconds later and stopped the attack.

If not for the boyfriend, she would have been a murder victim that Floyd didn't know. So it's hard to categorize exactly. Floyd is just a crazy, sick f*ck. And I'm glad he's in prison where he belongs.

That book was so disturbing, but really captured what a sick man he is. UM barely scratched the surface. And what they cut from the interview that didn't make it to the air...I shudder to imagine it. It must have been really hard to interview him. I would have a very hard time not yelling at him and calling him names.

Floyd did so many sick things. The murder of the woman for revenge was one of the most graphic sections of the book and even though it's been almost a year since I read it and I can't forget it.

What he did to Sharon was just indescribable. And this remarkable young woman, despite the atmosphere she grew up within, the influence and power he had over her, did not become anything like him. She was brilliant and kind-hearted. I hate Floyd and think he probably had more victims than we know, but most of them were, as dynoguy said, people he knew. I think Michael is sadly one of them, despite Floyd's pigheaded smug interview where he says that's wrong.

[ctgrumpybear]

There not a lot knew about him

[pardilia]

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

Although in the book, "A beautiful child," there is an attack mentioned when Floyd was working as a maintenance worker in an apartment complex and he had keys to all the apartments. A woman came home one day to find Floyd in her bedroom sniffing her underwear and when he saw her, he lunged toward her and started stabbing her with a knife. She was saved only because her boyfriend walked in several seconds later and stopped the attack.

The problem with this is that we don't know what he thought about her in his mind. He could have felt he knew her for whatever reason or maybe he made overtures that she rejected. Sometimes what one thinks is a harmless gesture is construed to be so much more by someone else.

I've always tended to think that he's a psychopath who is okay with killing people to get rid of them but not a serial killer. Floyd liked to screw with people and control them - people were his toys.

Serial killers tend to rack up relatively high numbers of victims that all have something in common - usually race, sex, religion, etc. They also kill much more frequently - even with a "cooling off" period.

I don't necessarily think Floyd was a serial killer, but that due to his mental issues he not only lacks the moral compass most of us are born with but also lacks the fear of getting caught. I think he probably got so angry he wanted to kill someone so he simply did it.

[Killarney Rose]

Originally Posted by idyla

The problem with this is that we don't know what he thought about her in his mind. He could have felt he knew her for whatever reason or maybe he made overtures that she rejected. Sometimes what one thinks is a harmless gesture is construed to be so much more by someone else.

I've always tended to think that he's a psychopath who is okay with killing people to get rid of them but not a serial killer. Floyd liked to screw with people and control them - people were his toys.

Serial killers tend to rack up relatively high numbers of victims that all have something in common - usually race, sex, religion, etc. They also kill much more frequently - even with a "cooling off" period.

I don't necessarily think Floyd was a serial killer, but that due to his mental issues he not only lacks the moral compass most of us are born with but also lacks the fear of getting caught. I think he probably got so angry he wanted to kill someone so he simply did it.

I think you are right on it with this. Whereas a serial killer actually goes out and looks for victims to kill for his pleasure, Floyd killed anyone who got in his way, or was no longer useful to him. He feels no remorse for it, he felt he needed to do it, so he did.

[XCalibur]

I think its apparent that Floyd is an evil dirtbag with no humanity whatsoever. Whether or not he should be classified as a serial killer is really irrelevant other than making for good discussion.

Although I would lean towards no. Serial Killers basically are addicted to murder, same as druggies are addicted to drugs. I'm not certain that Floyd felt a pathological need to kill, he did it when it suited his purposes and he is a selfish evil person who wasn't above it, but I'm not sure it was an addiction.

[tamanshud]

He's still alive, yes? And still not talking. How frustrating!
It was established that Michael is Suzanne's son? I wonder if their DNA is in the system for possible matches to relatives.

[TracyLynnS]

Yes, Michael was Sharon/Suzanne's son, but was not Floyd's son. I'm not positive, but I thought I read that she has children that were definitely ID'd as hers that were put up for adoption so there might be DNA available from them. Also, IIRC, her own DNA is/was available but is thought to have been contaminated. Fuzzy on those details. It might be in the book.

As to the original question, IMO Floyd is a serial killer, if not in the classic sense at least in the sense that he killed multiple people. Plus I think there are more victims than we know about. Also IMO, he's much worse that what most people think of as a serial killer: a stranger who hunts for victims and kills for pleasure.

Floyd knew Sharon/Suzanne and Michael so closely, he had raised them as his own children. In her case, he'd raised her all the way to adulthood yet still had no loving feelings toward her and I believe he was involved in her death. I have no doubt at all that he killed Michael who was like a son or grandson to him. He also knew Cheryl Commesso as a friend and was able to torture and murder her while photographing the whole thing.

To me, that's scarier than some nut without compassion who goes out killing strangers. Floyd tortured, abused, and murdered people who loved him or cared about him and in Michael's case, trusted him.

[Allierain]

I am glad that 'A Beautiful Child' was mentioned because I cannot recommend that book enough. As much as I love UM, I have never been into true crime novels. The story of Suzanne Davis, however, startled me enough that I decided to give the book a try when I found it at the bookstore. Not only is it a well-written account of Franklin Floyd's years, it gives life once more to the girl who had many names but no identity of her own. Franklin Floyd is one very messed-up person. Suzanne, on the other hand, really was a very unique, intelligent and wonderful girl who deserved much more than she got out of life.

One of Suzanne's old high school friends mentioned on the author's website recently that Suzanne was heavily pregnant the day they graduated high school. I thought she had one daughter, gave her away, had Michael, then gave birth to another girl who was also given up. They knew the identity of the fathers of the first two kids but not the third.

[benoitbabe]

I have a Facebook group to help find out who Sharon/Suzanne/Tanya was. http://www.facebook.com/groups/342897130752/ The link for those interested. The author of A Beatiful Child Matt Birkbeck is an admin ion the group.

[ctgrumpybear]

http://voices.yahoo.com/missing-trio...44.html?cat=34

[TracyLynnS]

Originally Posted by benoitbabe

I have a Facebook group to help find out who Sharon/Suzanne/Tanya was. http://www.facebook.com/groups/342897130752/ The link for those interested. The author of A Beatiful Child Matt Birkbeck is an admin ion the group.

I don't get on facebook very often (I use a similar screen name there) but just requested and was approved to join your group.

I sincerely hope this beautiful young woman is identified. Many good things have been happening in that area with the advent of DNA and the internet.