Franklin Delano Floyd Confesses to Michael Hughes Murder

[charmedsignora]

I don't know if this has been posted or not (and if it has, I'm sorry), but I read an article today that stated Franklin Delano Floyd has confessed to the murder of Michael Hughes. Floyd says that he shot Hughes after abducting him and buried him at an exit near the Oklahoma/Texas border.

Frankly, I'm not sure I believe this (something tells me that he's going to recant this confession any moment now), but at least it's something.

Here is the text of the article...I copied and pasted it to avoid any broken links.



Man confesses to killing missing Oklahoma boy more than 20 years ago​
Apr 13th 2016 10:53AM


CHOCTAW, Okla. (KFOR) - The FBI believes they now have answers in a case that is more than two decades old.
Investigators said 6-year-old Michael Hughes was kidnapped in 1994. The child was never seen again.
The man last seen with him, Franklin Floyd, now sits on death row in Florida after being convicted of a murder there.
For years, Floyd refused to tell authorities what happened to Michael, but now FBI officials said he has broken that silence.
Michael and his principal were kidnapped from Indian Meridian Elementary School in Choctaw on September 12, 1994.
"I can remember that day as plain as today," said John Whetsel, the former Choctaw police chief and current Oklahoma County sheriff. Whetsel said it's a day he will never forget.
Hours later, the elementary school principal was found handcuffed to a tree about a mile and half east of the school.
"Franklin Floyd and Michael left, never to be seen again for a long time," Whetsel said.
Floyd was later arrested but would never say what happened to Michael. In a NewsChannel 4 interview from 1995, Whetsel said Floyd was the key to finding Michael.
"Until Floyd opens his mouth and lets us know where Michael's at, it's going to be almost impossible to locate him," Whetsel said.
For years, it has been a mystery investigators couldn't solve. Last summer, an FBI agent went to interview Floyd and asked about Michael. According to the FBI, it was during that interview Floyd confessed. He told the agent he shot Michael twice in the back of the head.
He then told the agent he buried the boy near the last exit leaving Oklahoma and heading into Texas. A search was done of the area, but no evidence was ever found.
"When Michael took his last breath here on Earth, he took the very next breath in Jesus' arms," said Merle Bean, Michael's foster-mother.
At the time of his abduction, Michael was in state custody. He was living with Merle and Ernest Bean. The couple was unable to meet us for an interview but spoke to us by phone. They said they are grateful for the prayers of so many Oklahomans.
"I feel like there is closure, and this is just where I want it to end," Merle said.
The sheriff agrees, even though he wishes Michael could have been found alive. "It's not easy to accept, but at least it's nice to know what happened," Whetsel said.
The FBI investigator who has worked this case said he hopes to interview Floyd again soon.
That agent said he thinks Floyd may have answers which could help solve other cases, including what really happened to Michael's mother.
The boy's mother died in 1990, and investigators believe Floyd may have details about what really happened to her.

[Zoneboy]

Link

For 20 years, the brazen kidnapper told the same lies about the fate of the 6-year-old boy he had abducted from a Choctaw elementary school.

Franklin Delano Floyd would insist Michael Anthony Hughes was alive, that he had put the boy somewhere safe after leaving the school principal handcuffed to a tree Sept. 12, 1994. Floyd would defend what he did, saying Michael is his son despite what a blood test showed.

"He is placed where his dad deems to be in his best interest," he said in a statement after being sentenced in 1995 to 52 years in federal prison for the kidnapping. "It's none of your business where he is, nor do I care how much any of you in Oklahoma miss him or love him."

But from death row in Florida, in September 2014, Floyd admitted to two FBI agents from Oklahoma what had been suspected all along. Floyd said he had killed Michael the same day of the abduction, after it became clear his plan to raise the boy while being a fugitive from the law wasn't going to work — this time.

"I'd been asking him, 'How'd you kill him? How'd you kill him? How'd you kill him?' " FBI Special Agent Scott Lobb told The Oklahoman. "And he finally just turned and looked at me and said, matter of factly, 'I shot him twice in the back of the head to make it real quick.' ... He didn't show any remorse."

Floyd told the two agents, Lobb and Nate Furr, that he shot and buried Michael at the last Oklahoma exit before the Texas border on Interstate 35. A two-day search of the area in March 2015 year found no evidence.

"We had to break through that facade, that wall, and get him to where he confessed to what he did with the boy," Lobb said. "He was (saying) the same thing ... 'Michael was married to a government attorney living in the Kansas City area. Michael was safe in a foreign country.' There were a couple of other stories that were just far-fetched."

Floyd in April 1990 had left Michael in state custody after his wife, the boy's mother, died in a hit-and-run incident in Oklahoma City. The boy was then 2. Floyd then was a federal fugitive, on the run for 17 years for breaking parole. He had been in prison for bank robbery.

At the time of the kidnapping, Michael was 6 and had been living with the same foster parents for almost four years. Floyd had been back in and out of federal prison and was seeking to regain custody of Michael. Floyd claimed the boy's foster parents were abusive.

After 20 years of lies, kidnapper admits killing Oklahoma boy
Floyd was facing an uphill struggle in his effort to get Michael again. A blood test had shown he was not Michael's biological father. Also, he was facing an assault and battery charge that could send him to state prison.

"What he said was, 'It just got to a boiling point.' No one was listening to him. He was frustrated. So he kidnapped him," Lobb said.

What Floyd had not counted on was that he and Michael had grown apart.

"All of a sudden this guy shows up in Michael's life," Lobb said. "He's been out of his life since 1990, with the exception of a couple of prison visits that had been mandated by the court until they found out he wasn't the father. Michael wants nothing to do with him. He's got a secure home. He's happy. He's got stability in his life."

The agent said Michael got out of control on the drive toward Texas and Floyd couldn't handle it. Floyd then decided to kill the boy. "He knew it couldn't be what he wanted it to be," the agent said. "He knew his life wouldn't be the same because Michael didn't love him anymore, didn't want to be with him."

A month after the kidnapping, the principal's stolen pickup truck was found in Dallas. Two months after the kidnapping, Floyd was located — alone — in Kentucky.

Looking at overhead photos and maps, Floyd in January 2015 was able to point out an area where he said the shooting happened. The FBI's Evidence Response Team and anthropologists from the University of Oklahoma sifted dirt in the 2,000-square-foot area for 16 hours.

They had not expected to find any remains because wild hogs that roam the woods there would have eaten even the boy's bones. They had hoped to find bullet casings, a belt buckle or eyelets from Michael's sneakers, but didn't.

Closure has finally come

For Michael's foster parents, Ernest and Merle Bean, the confession has brought the devout Baptists closure —at last. Both are 64.

The FBI agents visited with them last July at their home in Choctaw about the boy they had planned to adopt.

Merle Bean sent The Oklahoman a letter in March thanking the agents for their work and thanking all those across the United States who had prayed for them. "Rest assured that Michael is at peace and safe in the arms of Jesus," she wrote. "We will see him again."

In an interview last week, Ernest Bean said of the FBI disclosure: "It was just like I thought. ... This whole time, I figured that Michael was dead, that he killed him early on. I figured that right from the start. ... My view was: I would rather him be dead than living somewhere in torment, suffering, wanting to come home ... being a prisoner. I'd rather him be in the arms of Jesus."

Merle Bean said, "It just feels good. Just to know."

She said she always was more uncertain about what had happened to Michael than her husband was. She described herself as kind of twisting this way and that. So when the FBI agents came out to talk to them, it was a relief, she said.

"We knew he wasn't being hurt," she said. "And, like I said in the letter, when he took his last breath here on this earth, he was in the arms of Jesus his very next breath. And so that gave us peace."

On death row

Floyd, now 72, is on death row in Florida for fatally shooting an exotic dancer, Cheryl Commesso, in 1989. He was convicted in 2002, after a landscaping worker found her skull in 1995 along a Florida interstate. The evidence against him in that case included photos of the dancer — beaten. Floyd had hidden the photos on top of the gas tank of the pickup truck that he had stolen from the Oklahoma elementary school principal. A body shop owner in Kansas found the photos in 1995.

Commesso and Michael's mother had been co-workers at the strip club in Florida.

Another revelation

Floyd also admitted to the two FBI agents from Oklahoma the true identity of Michael's mother. In an interview in May 2014, he disclosed she was Suzanne Marie Sevakis — the oldest of three daughters of a woman he married in North Carolina in 1974 shortly after becoming a fugitive.

He revealed that he took off with Suzanne in 1975 after her mother was jailed in Dallas on a minor offense. They moved first to Oklahoma City. He said he dropped the other girls at a children's home. The FBI confirmed his account through marriage records and DNA samples.

Suzanne turned 6 in 1975. She was known as Suzanne Davis in Oklahoma City.

Suzanne was known as Sharon Marshall in high school in Georgia. She and Floyd married in New Orleans in June 1989. She then called herself Tonya Tadlock — the name of a girl who died of pneumonia in Alabama years ago. Floyd at the time went by the name Clarence Hughes.

At the time of her death, she was known as Tonya Hughes and was a stripper at Passions, a club in Tulsa. She was 20. Floyd was a suspect in her hit-and-run death in Oklahoma City but was never charged.

Floyd refused to talk to the FBI agents about her death.

"That's the one thing Floyd won't talk about," Lobb said.

[1990 UM fan]

Glad that some of the missing pieces are coming together in this case. All that needs to be known is exactly where Michael's body is and if Floyd indeed killed Suzanne and why.

[RobinW]

Sadly, even if the mysteries of Michael and Suzanne are totally resolved, there's still a new one with unanswered questions: Floyd took Suzanne's infant brother with him when he originally abducted her, but as far as I can tell, no one knows what happened to him.

The best case scenario is that Floyd gave the child away and he was raised by someone else, but knowing Floyd, that's highly doubtful.

[SPD Yellow]

Floyd... One guy so reprehensible that even Gandhi wouldn't have moral objections to curb-stomping that mothereffer.

[sdb4884]

At least pieces of this puzzle are finally being put into place.

[dynoguy88]

So the devil himself finally admits to Michael's murder after 22 years. The least he could do is admit to killing Sharon too...because he DID kill her. There was never a doubt in my mind.

He sent her out that night with a list of items to pick up from the store, where she was immediately struck by a driver, conveniently shortly after signing a life insurance policy. While she was dying in a hospital bed, the nurses said he showed no emotion, no concern, no sadness and he actually looked annoyed and angry when it appeared her vitals were starting to improve.

So why confess to killing Michael now but still keep quiet about killing Sharon? The man insists on being an evil piece of **** until the bitter end.

[LooksLikeCRicci]

I'm a terrible person for saying this, but...

Can we even put any stock into this so-called confession? I have no doubt that he did kill Michael. I just find if odd that he'd suddenly confess now.

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

So the devil himself finally admits to Michael's murder after 22 years. The least he could do is admit to killing Sharon too...because he DID kill her. There was never a doubt in my mind.

He sent her out that night with a list of items to pick up from the store, where she was immediately struck by a driver, conveniently shortly after signing a life insurance policy. While she was dying in a hospital bed, the nurses said he showed no emotion, no concern, no sadness and he actually looked annoyed and angry when it appeared her vitals were starting to improve.

So why confess to killing Michael now but still keep quiet about killing Sharon? The man insists on being an evil piece of **** until the bitter end.

Well said.

[charmedsignora]

Originally Posted by LooksLikeCRicci

I just find if odd that he'd suddenly confess now.

I looked him up; he's still on death row in Florida, but no execution date has been set. Maybe he thinks that giving some sort of confession will help his case.

[WishfulDreamer]

Originally Posted by LooksLikeCRicci

I'm a terrible person for saying this, but...

Can we even put any stock into this so-called confession? I have no doubt that he did kill Michael. I just find if odd that he'd suddenly confess now.

You're not terrible. I wholeheartedly agree that he's responsible, but I also have a hard time believing him, especially the details. I don't think they'll ever find Michael's body (I'M sure the given location is bogus).

Let's keep in mind that Floyd also confessed to drowning Michael (I believe he told his sister this) when Michael refused to say, "I love you."

Whatever happened, Floyd is still a miserable POS. He is honestly one of the most sickening people I've ever read about.

[SitcomsAreTheWay]

Ugh, I loathe him. He's psychotic and his hasty, self-entitled demeanor is disgusting.

[LaurierCrimmajor]

For this guy, I always ask WWVMD?

[McBevis]

Originally Posted by LooksLikeCRicci

I'm a terrible person for saying this, but...

Can we even put any stock into this so-called confession? I have no doubt that he did kill Michael. I just find if odd that he'd suddenly confess now.

He's not getting any younger, and it's unlikely that he'll ever walk free again, so he probably figured that by now there's no longer any point in keeping quiet about it.

[dynoguy88]

Originally Posted by wiseguy182

Oh he absolutely killed her. There's no doubt in my mind about that.

Some info from the Investigators episode, which I am currently re-watching:

-Investigators wondered why Suzanne wouldn't just drive herself to the store, or have Floyd drive her. Floyd said they were visiting Oklahoma City from Tulsa and Suzanne wasn't familiar with the area. It's doubtful she would go out alone, at night, in a big city she wasn't familiar with.

-Floyd's story changed. He initially stated he was aware she was missing later that night. He then changed his story and said he fell asleep and didn't realize she was missing until the next morning.

-It's doubtful Suzanne was even killed on the road. Doctors said she suffered only a head injury, and it wasn't consistent with being struck by a car, where she most certainly would have sustained damage lower on her body.

-Floyd tried to get her cremated right away, which is highly suspicious.

He killed her. As for motive, who knows what goes on through that warped mind.

Reading those facts, I was curious about the whole hospital ordeal so I went back to check the book. I hadn't looked at it in years and every disturbing fact is just as disturbing.

For those who haven't read the book, here are the sections I'm talking about....

-----------------------------------------------

The police brought Clarence (Floyd’s alias) to the hospital and into Tonya’s room. He appeared unmoved at the sight of his young wife, who was lying still but breathing easily. Wires and thin tubes protruded from her body. Her blood pressure was still high, 155/105, but her other vital signs were stable.
She appeared to be in a very deep sleep but in fact was in a coma and unresponsive to any spoken commands, though she did mumble a few words, particularly “Daddy.”

The major concern, said the doctor, was the hematoma on the back of her head. Her brain had been severely bruised and all anyone could do right then was wait.

Given that her vital signs were stable, doctors expressed cautious optimism that she would, in fact, pull through over the next day or two.

Clarence stood still as the doctor delivered his report. He displayed no emotion nor did he try to comfort his wife by touching her body or whispering something soothing or heartfelt into her ear. Instead, following the update on his wife’s condition, Clarence politely asked the nurse for a pen, a notebook sized piece of paper, and some clear tape. The nurse, somewhat puzzled, left the room but quickly returned with the items.

Clarence asked the doctor and nurse to leave, saying he wanted a moment or two alone with his wife.

When they returned several minutes later, Clarence had left the hospital, but he had left a sign taped to the outside of the door. It read, NO VISITORS.

(Later when Floyd called Tonya’s friends at the Strip Club).....

Connie reached into the dressing room, flung on her robe and ran into J.R.’s office, where she picked up the phone.

“Clarence? What happened! What did you do to her?”

“I didn’t do nothing!” said Clarence. “She went out for some baby food last night and got hit by a car. She’s out, unconscious, in a coma. Thought I’d call you and tell you. We need her money. Don’t come visit because the doctors won’t allow it. I’ll come there and pick it up. Probably on Tuesday.”

“Why is she in Oklahoma City?”

“She had a doctor’s appointment. A gynecologist.”

“Where’s Michael?”

“He’s fine. He’s with me.”

“What hospital is she in?”

“Presbyterian. Oklahoma City. But like I said, she’s in bad shape and doctors do not want visitors. I got to go. I’ll be by for her money on Tuesday.”

Connie placed the phone down and sat in J.R.’s chair as several dancers and other employers gathered in the doorway.

“Tonya’s in the hospital. She got hit by a car last night. I don’t know what happened but Clarence said it was some sort of an accident,” said Connie. “First night she ever takes off, and she ends up in the hospital? Bullsh*t. He tried to kill her.”

Oklahoma City was 120 miles to the west-southwest on I-44, and Connie enlisted Kevin Brown to accompany her to the hospital. Kevin was a college student and a Passion customer who knew Tonya well.

When they arrived two hours later, Connie went directly to the information desk, asked for Tonya Hughes’ room number, and then took the elevator to the third floor, leaving Kevin in the lobby. She found the room, saw the ridiculous No Visitors sign taped to the door, then poked her head inside. Tonya was alone, lying on her back, faint noises coming from the medical equipment monitoring her condition.

Connie opened the door all the way and slowly walked up to Tonya’s bed, stopping by her side. Tonya looked like she always did, like a pretty blonde angel. Her face was unmarked, as were her arms. Connie was confused. Clarence said she was hit by a car, but she appeared to be in perfect condition. There were no scratches on her face, no broken bones, no scrapes from the road. She looked as if she was sleeping.
Connie leaned over and whispered, “Hey, Tonya, it’s Connie. I came here to take care of you. Kevin is here. You’re going to be alright now.”

A nurse walked in to check on Tonya’s vital signs. Startled, Connie stood up and said she was a friend who drove down from Tulsa.

As Connie spoke, Tonya’s head moved, following Connie’s voice.
“Oh my GOD, she’s responding to you,” said the nurse.

Tonya raised her right arm and appeared to be reaching for Connie, who grabbed her hand and held it tight.

“I’m going to get the doctor,” said the nurse.

Tonya was still in a coma but appeared to be slowly emerging from her unconscious state. Kevin was allowed to visit and when he spoke, Tonya moved her head in his direction.

Recognizing her friends was good news and the medical staff was pleased with her progress. Given the significant blow she received on the back of her head, doctors initially had their doubts that she would recover. They had other doubts too and they centered on her husband, Clarence.

He had displayed little emotion when he arrived that first morning, and his bizarre No Visitors sign startled the nursing staff. Of more concern was the theft of Tonya’s personal effects, including her clothes. All of them were missing. Perhaps most concerning were Tonya’s injuries. When Connie questioned Tonya’s condition and the lack of visible marks and bruises, the doctor pulled her aside.

“This was no car accident,” he said.

“I knew it,” said Connie.

Connie was quick to share her suspicions concerning Clarence and the violent nature of Tonya’s relationship with her husband, whom she was planning to leave.

Kevin had told her just that morning the details of her bold plan, and Kevin was going to help her.

“What changed her mind? We’ve been telling her to run for months,” said Connie.

“Something happened over the past month,” said Kevin. “She wouldn’t tell me, but she started talking about a new life, of going to college.”

Connie was surprised to learn that Tonya had finally wised up. But then, it didn’t make much sense. Tonya was doing something she never did; she was making plans. She was talking about a new future.

The medical staff took Connie aside and suggested she visit with the Oklahoma City Police Department. They also made it clear that it was time to go. Clarence was clear in his demands that Tonya received no visitors. Connie remained in Oklahoma City, taking a room at a nearby hotel. Considering Tonya’s response to Connie, the medical staff welcomed her visits and would call her whenever Clarence left the hospital.

Connie was sure Clarence had something to do with Tonya’s injuries, and only hoped that when Tonya awoke, she’d tell the medical staff, her friends, and the police what had really happened early Thursday morning. Tonya’s condition gradually improved enough that Connie left Oklahoma City on Sunday morning and by mid-afternoon was back at Passions relaying the good news. Though she had yet to regain consciousness, doctors were sure she would come out.

“Maybe by mid-week,” said Connie.

A few hours later, she received a call from Clarence. He was still in Oklahoma City and he was irate.

“Who told you to go visit her in the hospital?!” he screamed. “I told you she can’t have no visitors! Those b*tches at the hospital will all be fired. No one is allowed in the room. No one!”

Connie held her composure. She explained that Tonya was her friend and no one, not even her husband, was going to keep her away. She said nothing about visiting the police, something she figured she’d do once Tonya was recovered. Clarence’s anger quickly subsided as he changed the subject. He needed money and asked Connie if she wanted to buy some furniture.

“I’m moving out here and I need to sell everything in the trailer in Tulsa. You interested?”

“Moving? What for?”

“To be near Tonya.”

“What about Michael?”

“Never mind Michael. I’m his daddy and I’ll take care of him. I’ll call you on Friday. If you want the furniture, let me know then.”

Connie immediately called the hospital and told them that Clarence was clearing out and suggested they keep an eye on Tonya. He must have tried to kill her once, she reasoned, and what’s to stop him from trying again? Connie decided to head back to Oklahoma City the next day and gave the hospital her home and work numbers in the event of an emergency.

Early the following morning, the phone rang. It was hospital. Tonya’s condition had suddenly worsened. She was on life support and was not expected to live through the day. Tonya was going to die and Connie wanted to say good-bye, she had to leave now.

When Connie arrived at the hospital early in the afternoon, she ran up to Tonya’s room. The No Visitors sign was gone, and Tonya’s bed was empty. A nurse pulled her aside and told her that Tonya had been pronounced dead. With the exception of two nurses and a doctor, no one was with Tonya at the end. Not even her husband, who was given advanced notice in the morning, but said he wouldn’t be there. Instead, he barked out orders to have her organs donated and her body immediately cremated. There would be no funeral or service of any kind.

“Cremated?” said Connie between her tears. “She did not want to be cremated. I know. We talked about this stuff. We both wanted to be buried. And we have to have a service. How can that bastard not have a service?”

Connie was led downstairs and into a room where Tonya was lying on a gurney, covered by a white sheet from head to toe. The nurse pulled the sheet to reveal Tonya’s face. She looked the same, as if she were sleeping. Connie exploded into tears. Her friend was gone.

“What happened?” said Connie to the nurse. “She was coming along. She was supposed to come out of it.”

“We don’t know,” said the nurse. “Her husband visited with her last night and this morning, her vitals were failing. There was nothing we could do. She never came out of her coma.”

An orderly walked in and said it was time to move the body. Connie kissed Tonya’s forehead and said good-bye.

The gurney was rolled away and Oklahoma Organ Sharing Network delivered Tonya’s organs to various individuals. Her heart was given to a sixty-year old Arizona woman who returned to her husband and grown children following the transplant operation. Tonya’s liver went to a thirty-nine year old New York woman who was married with two sons and was a resident nurse. One kidney went to a twenty-four year old man from Texas, married with one child. The other kidney was transplanted to a fourteen year old girl from Oklahoma who had been on dialysis for a year. Two blind Oklahoma residents were given Tonya’s corneas, and an assortment of individuals benefited from donated bone.

Connie was led to the lobby and drew sympathy from the medical staff, which had been leery of Clarence Hughes since the beginning. Connie asked about a wake and a funeral, and the hospital agreed to move Tonya’s remains to Tulsa, so long as the check to cover transportation expense arrived by the end of the business day, and her husband gave permission.

Connie called J.R. Buck, who readily agreed to front the money to transport the body. She then called Clarence, and told him that having a funeral was the right thing to do. Connie explained the employees at Passions would pay for the funeral, and that Tonya deserved a decent burial.

“You’re going to pay for the funeral?” said Clarence, who resisted by finally relented, stipulating that there would be no open casket during the wake. Connie relayed the news to the medical staff, which agreed with the decision for a closed casket.

Before leaving, the nurses told Connie of one last problem, and it had to do with Michael. He wasn’t talking or crying. He was dirty and smelled of urine. It was gently suggested that Connie visit social services.