The Murder of Michael Temple Jr.
For this case, I watched an episode of Cold Case Files. It’s season 7 episode 13, titled ‘Eyes of a Killer.’
A man dies 5 years after being shot during a home invasion.
Background
Michael Temple Jr grew up in the town of Glen Burnie, Maryland. He met his future girlfriend, Margaret Ridgely after being set up on a blind date. Michael was about 3 years older, but the two became smitten with each other. After about 4 years of dating, Michael and Margaret moved into the home of Margaret’s grandmother in Odenton, Maryland.
Michael had worked for his dad’s construction company. But, he also had a secret. He and Margaret started using and dealing prescription drugs in high school. They were still using when they moved in together.
Michael Temple Jr
The Home Invasion
On February 2, 2010, Michael and Margaret arrived home just before 9 pm. Their friend, Kelly was waiting for them and asked to use their computer.
Margaret’s grandmother was asleep upstairs and her uncle was watching TV. Margaret and Michael were living in the basement portion of the home.
A few minutes after arriving home, there was a knock at the door. Michael answered the door. Margaret said the first thing they saw was a pistol. Two armed and masked men came in through the door.
The two men walked Michael to the safe and asked him to open it. Michael refused. Margaret said she started to fight with one of the men and she was hit in the head with the butt of the gun.
Margaret said she heard a loud noise which was the sound of Michael being shot. Michael was lying on the floor in a pool of blood and had a hole in his chest and thigh. Before he lost consciousness, Michael told Margaret that he had stabbed one of the intruders.
The two men eventually left. Margaret said the two men were wearing all black and bandanas, but she was able to see that one of them had bright blue eyes.
Their friend, Kelly called 911. Michael and Margaret were rushed to the shock trauma unit of the hospital.
The Investigation
Michael had been shot several times, Margaret had a gash over her eye, and their friend, Kelly had not been injured.
By 9 pm, the Anne Arundel County police were searching the home and surrounding areas. A small trail of blood was found leading from the side door to the front yard. It came from the intruder that had been stabbed.
A neighbor told the police that they heard the gunshots and saw a silver truck speeding away.
The police recovered three .357 shell casings. The knife that Michael had used was found under a dresser. The safe was found in the closet. Margaret gave the police the combination to the safe. Inside was a stash of opioid pills and money.
Margaret gave the police a list of names of people that they allowed in their house. One of the names that she gave was their friend, Kelly Skarwecki.
It was odd to the police that Kelly hadn’t been harmed during the attack and that the armed men arrived just after she did. She said she only went to the house to use their computer.
The computer was analyzed. The police were able to confirm that she was making a wire transfer payment. She was eliminated as being a suspect or having knowledge of the crime.
The police believed that the killer knew the house as they had entered through the side door. They also believed that the killer had known the contents of the safe.
The Motive
In this episode, Margaret said that they became addicted to drugs around 2005. She and Michael wanted to have kids and needed money for a fertility doctor as she was told she couldn’t have children. By the time they moved in together, they were still selling drugs.
Michael survived the shooting and was able to leave the hospital. However, Michael became a quadriplegic and was in a wheelchair.
By the end of March 2010, the community was experiencing a higher number of home invasion robberies. A gang called DMI (Dead Mens Inc.) was suspected of committing these robberies. It was suspected that either Michael owed them money or they owed him money.
A task force was created to investigate all of the crimes involving this local gang. An anonymous tip pointed led the police to one member. The member was asked to give a sample of his DNA which he agreed to. He also removed his shirt to prove that he had not been stabbed. His DNA eliminated him as a suspect.
In 2011, Margaret was arrested and charged with felony possession of drugs with intent to distribute. She was sentenced to probation. Michael and Margaret also broke up. Margaret said she needed to get healthy.
The Composite Sketch
On June 18, 2015, 5 years and 4 months after Michael was shot, he was found on the floor of his home. His dad, Michael Sr had been trying to get into contact with him and found him. He was rushed to the hospital and passed away due to complications from the gunshot wounds.
In October 2015, the original case file was reexamined.
The police ran the DNA found at the crime scene again. There was no hit, but one of the detectives heard about Parabon Nanolabs.
Parabon created a sketch of one of the men. The sketch showed a blonde male with blue eyes, who would have been around 25 at the time. The man’s ancestry showed that he was of Northern and Western European descent.
In December 2015, the computer-generated composite sketch was released. However, it didn’t lead to any tips and the case went cold again.
Searching for Answers
In June 2018, the police hoped that reverse genetic genealogy would help them finally solve this case. Genealogists turned to the DNA found on the knife that Michael used to stab his attacker.
This led to one family tree where this specific family only had 1 son. The police examined a photo of the son who had bright blue eyes.
He was identified as Fred Frampton Jr. He was the correct age and had a criminal history up until 2010. He never had any felony convictions so his DNA had not been in CODIS at the time. The police learned that he had a silver truck and a .357 caliber gun registered to him.
On October 2, 2018, a surveillance team followed Frampton Jr around hoping to collect his DNA. The police observed him flick a cigarette near one of the detectives’ cars. The cigarette was collected, and the DNA came back as a match.
The composite sketch and a photo of Frampton Jr around the time of the murder.
The Confession
On November 1, 2018, Fred Frampton Jr was arrested.
Frampton Jr was asked about the home invasion. When he denied it, he was asked how his DNA was found at the scene.
He eventually confessed and said that Michael had stabbed him. He said the home invasion had not been his idea but the idea of his friend, Jonathan Ludwig. Ludwig was a client of Michael and Margaret’s and knew where the safe was kept and what would be inside.
Jonathan Ludwig died from a drug overdose 7 months before Frampton Jr’s arrest.
Fred Frampton Jr and Jonathan Ludwig
The Conviction
On November 1, 2018, a plea deal was offered. The plea deal was a 55-year sentence with the possibility of parole.
Frampton Jr’s lawyer asked for leniency and argued that his client was a changed man and had stayed out of trouble.
On September 19, 2019, Fred Frampton Jr accepted the plea deal.
Other
Frampton Jr and Ludwig had worked for Michael Temple Sr at his construction company for years after they shot Michael Jr.
FINAL THOUGHTS
My heart goes out to Michael Sr. He lost his wife and son. He had been so kind to the men responsible for killing his child. He had no idea that they were responsible. My heart also goes out to Margaret. I could feel her pain as I watched this episode. It’s clear that she loved Michael and probably always will. Michael made mistakes but he didn’t deserve what happened to him. The Anne Arundel County police and Parabon Nanolabs did an amazing job solving this case and giving answers to Michael’s loved ones.
Sources
https://www.wmar2news.com/longform/blood-spatter-may-link-killer-to-odenton-cold-case
