Florida man leaves hospital, stabs county attorney to death in nearby home, police say

ORLANDO — A Florida man allegedly high on drugs he received for his birthday walked out of an Orlando hospital early Sunday morning, broke into a nearby home and fatally stabbed the well-known county attorney living there, authorities said.

William Ramon Franklin, 33, is charged with first-degree murder and burglary of a dwelling with assault or battery, according to Orange County jail records. He is being held without bond.

The victim, Erin Elizabeth Hartigan, 44, was an assistant attorney for the Orange County Attorney’s Office, Orlando police officials said Monday at a news conference.

Orlando police Sgt. William Cail said that dispatchers received a 911 call at 4:28 a.m. Sunday from Hartigan’s home at 320 Jasmine Ave., located about three-tenths of a mile from Orlando Regional Medical Center.

“The victim’s mother had found her daughter being attacked in the house,” Cail said.

Watch Orlando police officials talk about the Erin Hartigan homicide below.

Patrol officers arrived and found Hartigan dead on the floor, Cail said. She had suffered multiple stab wounds.

Her mother, Lorraine Hartigan, told investigators she awoke to the sounds of a struggle and her daughter screaming.

She also heard an unfamiliar male voice repeatedly crying, “Whoop,” according to an arrest affidavit written by Detective Brian Ferrara, the lead investigator on the case.

“(Lorraine Hartigan) got out of bed and opened her door, at which time she saw (her daughter) lying on the floor,” Ferrara wrote. “She saw an individual standing over her. Once she opened the door, the individual stood up, turned away from her and walked down the hallway.”

A frightened Lorraine Hartigan retreated to her bedroom and used her cellphone to call 911.

The Orlando Sentinel obtained the 911 call placed by Lorraine Hartigan.

“There’s so much blood on the floor I can’t believe it,” she said in the call. “You need to come now with an ambulance.”

Cail said homicide detectives had arrived at the scene and were beginning initial interviews and crime scene investigation when neighbors began reporting suspicious items on their properties. Couch cushions were found in multiple yards and a flip flop was found in another, according to the affidavit.

A resident six houses from the crime scene found two bloody knives that matched a set of kitchen knives in Erin Hartigan’s kitchen, Ferrara wrote. A third piece from the set was found lying next to Hartigan’s body inside her home.

Around 9:30 a.m., five hours after the initial 911 call from Lorraine Hartigan, dispatchers received another call.

“Eventually, we got a call from someone who lived nearby, that they’d had a suspicious person in their backyard that they were viewing via their video surveillance system,” Cail said Monday.

Patrol officers responded and found Franklin, who was soaking wet, behind a nearby home. Franklin told the arresting officers he’d been swimming in Lake Lurna, which abuts the property where he was found.

“Franklin was not wearing pants, only boxer shorts and a shirt,” the arrest affidavit states. “Officer Morris also noticed what appeared to be fresh lacerations on the palm of Franklin’s right hand.”

Read the affidavit for William Franklin’s arrest below.

The officers conducted a teletype check on Franklin’s name, which pulled up a missing person report filed by his wife after he’d walked away from the hospital. According to WFTV in Orlando, his wife told police he’d gone to the facility for a bad reaction to drugs he’d received as a gift for his birthday, which was Thursday.

A nurse at Orlando Regional had last seen Franklin between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m., and surveillance footage showed him leaving the hospital shortly after 1 a.m., the Sentinel reported.

The missing person’s report stated that a nurse said Franklin was “obviously experiencing effects related to the drugs at the time of his treatment,” according to WFTV.

When taken to the police station for questioning, however, Franklin told investigators he had gone to the hospital for a COVID-19 test, the affidavit states. While there, he said, he’d been given a drug that made him lose his memory.

He claimed he could not recall what he had done from the time he left Orlando Regional to the time officers found him near the lake.

“When asked about the cuts on his hands, Franklin first said they looked fresh and believed he had received them possibly two or three days ago,” Ferrara wrote. “He later stated he woke up and they were there.”

Franklin repeatedly said he could not remember what took place after he left the hospital, yet he made incriminating statements.

“He also stated he could not recall killing or doing something to anyone,” the detective wrote. “Further, he could not recall being invited into anyone’s home. I asked him if it was possible he went into a home and he responded it was, adding he could have even been in the house with the dead person.”

Ferrara and another detective questioning Franklin had not told him what type of crime they were investigating at that point, the affidavit states.

When asked about finding his blood or fingerprints at a crime scene, Franklin replied that “anything was possible,” the detective wrote.

“When asked for an explanation as to why those items would be found in the crime scene, Franklin replied, ‘You gotta find out how they got killed,’” the document says.

Ferrara wrote that the interview concluded a short time later, but two officers remained in the room to monitor Franklin.

“At approximately 1325 hours (1:25 p.m.), both officers heard Franklin state, out loud and to himself, (that) he did not mean to kill the lady,” the detective wrote. “Both officers completed sworn statements detailing what they heard Franklin say and notified me of his statement.

“I recognized the statement to contain case-specific information which had not been provided to him at any time during his encounter with law enforcement.”

During Monday’s news conference, Ferrara said there were no obvious signs of forced entry at Erin Hartigan’s home. Investigators were probing the possibility that Franklin tried to enter at least one other home in the neighborhood before he got to Hartigan’s house Sunday morning.

The killing appeared random and the motive was unknown as of Monday.

“There was not a lot of information forthcoming from him as far as why that residence, why he did what he did. We didn’t get that, unfortunately,” Ferrara said.

In the arrest affidavit, Ferrara detailed other evidence against Franklin.

He wrote that a K-9 handler with a bloodhound performed a scent track in the neighborhood from the hospital to the lake. The dog, K-9 Angie, began at the emergency room door and walked a 10-minute route through the nearby neighborhood to the intersection of Whittier Court and Jasmine Avenue.

“While at that intersection, K-9 Angie picked up a ‘hot track’ and led (her handler) directly to the front door of 320 Jasmine Ave.,” Ferrera wrote.

The dog then led her handler down Jasmine Avenue to the 1600 block of Delaney Avenue, which is where the bloody knives were located, the affidavit says.

“Finally, K-9 Angie went behind the house and along the water line of Lake Lurna, which was where Franklin was located,” the detective wrote.

The Orlando Fire Department’s dive team went into the lake looking for evidence and found a pair of pink shorts in about 2 feet of water, pushed into the embankment under some bushes.

The shorts, which had a ripped right front pocket, matched those Franklin was seen wearing in surveillance images from Orlando Regional.

On Monday, Cail described Franklin’s arrest as a collaborative effort between law enforcement and the community, as well as city firefighters, divers and K-9 officers.

“It was great teamwork from everybody involved,” Cail said.

Listen to Orlando County Mayor Jerry Demings speak about Erin Hartigan below.

Orlando police Chief Orlando Rolón also spoke out about the importance of community involvement in crimefighting.

“I want to acknowledge how critical our community is to reporting suspicious behavior,” Rolón tweeted. “As the detectives mentioned they were able to receive information from nearby neighbors which led to the capture of the suspect. Our detectives will continue to investigate this terrible tragedy.”

Erin Hartigan’s Florida Bar profile shows that she graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2005. She was admitted to the Florida Bar two years later.

Certified in city, county and local government law in 2014, Hartigan had been with the Orange County Attorney’s Office since 2016. In a statement obtained by WKMG, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings sent his condolences to Hartigan’s family.

“I had the privilege to speak with Erin Hartigan’s mother, Mrs. Lorraine Hartigan, who helped me to truly understand what a tragic loss we all share with the passing of such a loving person,” Demings said. “Erin will be greatly missed by many, and we appreciate her four years of service as an assistant county attorney.”

Demings said during a COVID-19 update on Monday that it was a solemn day for Hartigan’s colleagues, who were mourning her death.

“She’s going to be missed among our ranks,” the mayor said. “We pray that justice is served.”

County Commissioner Victoria Siplin wrote on Facebook that her heart and prayers went out to Hartigan’s loved ones.

“May the love of God comfort and strengthen you in the days ahead,” Siplin wrote. “Praying for justice for Erin.”

Hartigan previously worked for the City of Orlando, as well.

“We, as a city, are deeply saddened by the tragic event and our hearts go out to the family and friends of Erin Hartigan,” Samantha Holsten, public information officer for the city, said in a statement, according to WKMG. “During her employment at the city, Erin was a kind, generous, well-regarded city planner dedicated to public service and was a true friend to many.”

When asked Monday how Lorraine Hartigan was doing, Ferrara indicated that she was doing as well as could be expected.

“I spoke to her last night, and she’s holding up,” the detective said. “She’s a very strong woman. Very strong woman.”

Cox Media Group