The Murder of Sarah Washington
For this case, I watched an episode of Murder in the Heartland. It’s season 5 episode 1, titled ‘Whispered Warnings.’
A mother finds her daughter dead in her bedroom.
Background
Sarah Washington lived in the small town of Kankakee, Illinois. She worked as a registered nursing assistant at Riverside Medical Center, and had also signed a modeling contract with Factor Model Management in Chicago.
Sarah was very family orientated, but had big dreams. She also loved her patient interactions at work, and would participate in fashion shows for charities.
Sarah Washington
The Discovery
On June 26, 2014, Sarah’s mom, Kathy Gates, arrived at 4:30pm, to pick Sarah up for work. Kathy honked, but there was no answer. She walked up the stairs, as Sarah lived in the upstairs apartment. Kathy found in the door open, so she walked inside.
Kathy called out to her daughter, but there was no response. When she walked into Sarah’s bedroom, she found Sarah sitting against the wall. Kathy thought maybe Sarah had fallen out of bed, but when she touched her cheek, it was cold. She then saw a bullet hole right between Sarah’s eyes. Sarah had been shot twice in the head.
Kathy was obviously distraught, and the police were called. When they arrived, Kathy was found outside the apartment just saying her daughter’s name over and over again.
The Crime Scene
It didn’t look like there had been any signs of forced entry. The TV in the living room was on.
In Sarah’s bedroom, the police found several shell casings from a .380 automatic weapon, near her body. A pillow was found in Sarah’s lap, with blood on it, and several bullet holes through it.
On the bed, Sarah’s purse was found. Nothing had been taken, as Sarah’s credit card, drivers license, and a pile of cash was found. The police were able to rule out the robbery theory.
Also found at the scene, was a pair of men’s underwear, and a hotel key with the room number 220. It didn’t have the hotel’s name on it, but the police thought that it was an important piece of evidence.
The Boyfriend
The first suspect that the police learned about was Sarah’s boyfriend, Greg Dismuke.
Greg had a violent past. It was rumored that he was abusive to Sarah, and that he often cheated on her with several other women. Sarah’s family said he was very possessive, and they didn’t approve of their relationship. They said they had tried to talk to her about it, but it made her want Greg more.
The police tried to contact Greg, but he wouldn’t answer any of their calls. He did eventually walk into the police station, and told them that he wanted to clear his name.
Greg told the police that the underwear in the bathroom was his, as he had spent the previous night with Sarah. Greg said Sarah had brought him breakfast after she finished her shift, and that he left to go to Chicago.
It’s believed that Sarah was killed around 1pm, and Greg said he had left in the morning sometime.
Greg was asked about the hotel key, but he said it wasn't his. There was no evidence that Greg was involved, and he was released. After he was released, he contacted the police, and pointed the finger at his friend, Rex Frank.
The Follower
Greg told the police that Rex had arrived at Sarah’s apartment in the morning on the day of the murder.
Rex was a follower, and thought that joining Greg and some other friends, that he would feel included, and get the attention of women that Greg did.
On the day of the murder, Rex called his friend Kashawana Roberts, and said that there was a crime scene at Sarah and Greg’s.
Kashawana was also friends with Sarah and Greg, and found it odd that Rex was telling her this. She reported it to the police.
The police didn’t have any evidence against Rex either, but Greg and Rex were at the top of the suspect list.
The New Man
Before Sarah died, she had met a new man from work named Kevin Ahamdou. Sarah’s friend, Alyssa, said that Kevin was everything that Greg wasn't. Alyssa also had nothing nice to say about Greg.
On July 1, 2014, the police interviewed Kevin. Kevin told the police that he and Sarah had a very casual relationship. He said that he and Sarah had spoken about 4 days before she died.
The police asked Kevin about the hotel key. He said it wasn’t his, and he had never actually been to Sarah’s home.
Kevin was able to give the police his alibi. He had been at work during the time of the murder, and the police also confirmed that Kevin and Sarah had spoken several days before she died. He was ruled out.
A Dead End
On July 2, 2014, the police went to numerous hotels in the area, to narrow down where the key came from.
The police were able to determine that the hotel key was from the Economy Inn, a cheap motel. Sarah wouldn’t have used a cheap motel like this, but Greg would.
Alyssa spoke about a time when Sarah called her at 2am, and wanted to catch Greg with another women. Alyssa said they knocked on several doors at a motel until they were kicked out.
The front desk agent was able to tell the police that a young man had checked into room 220, on June 25. However, this was a dead end, as the man had no connection to Sarah or Greg.
The hotel key wasn’t spoken again, so I’m not sure how it ended up in Sarah’s bedroom.
Another Murder
On July 5, 2014, a 36-year-old truck driver, named Rian Maiden was murdered. He had also been shot.
Rian Maiden
The police went back to the conversation that they had with Kashawana. Kashawana said that Rex had told her that there was a crime scene at Greg and Sarah’s. But, when Kashawana confronted Rex about it, Rex claimed he didn't know Sarah. Kashawana said that Rex changed his story many times.
An eyewitness also put Rex near the crime scene at a local Dairy Queen. The eyewitness had seen Rex pull up in the restaurant parking lot. Rex had told the police that he had gone home after his conversation with Greg.
On July 11, Rex was called into for a second interview. He then admitted that he killed Rian, but didn’t admit to killing Sarah. Rex Frank was arrested.
Greg Dismuke was ruled out as a suspect. Greg’s GPS coordinates and friends put him in Chicago, just like he said.
The Conviction
The murder weapon from Rian’s murder was sent to the Illinois State Police Crime Lab. The shell casings from Sarah’s murder was a match to the weapon that was used in Rian’s murder.
Rex’s motive to killing Rian was greed. Rex had stolen Rian’s ATM card. Before he shot Rian, Rian begged for his life, and gave Rex his PIN number.
The motive in Sarah’s case isn’t clear, but it seemed like Rex could have been jealous of his friend Greg. Maybe he wanted Sarah, or wanted the life Greg had.
On March 4, 2019, Rex went on trial for Sarah’s murder. Rex’s defense said that there was no physical evidence, and blamed the murder on Greg.
On July 19, 2019, Rex Frank was sentenced to life for murdering both Rian and Sarah.
Rex also shot and killed an 18-year-old named Cleophus Reed, who was involved in a robbery in April 2014. He claimed he had PTSD from the incident.
Rex Frank
FINAL THOUGHTS
Rex is a very dangerous individual. He shot 3 people, and killed all of them. Sarah and Rian were both so young, and deserved better. Rex thought he was a tough guy. Now, he needs to pay the consequences, and hopefully won’t ever get out of prison.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/sarah-washington-murder-where-is-rex-frank-now/
