An Indiana father charged with murder in the death of his 6-year-old son has pleaded guilty to the charge.
Franklin Elmore Jr., 29, entered the guilty plea earlier this month and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 25, WNDU reported.
Elmore and his wife, 27-year-old Cheyenne Elmore — 6-year-old Justin Elmore’s stepmother — were charged in August with the boy’s murder, as CrimeOnline reported. The boy was rushed to the hospital on August 3 with traumatic injuries that his father said he caused by hitting himself in the head because of behavioral issues. But doctors didn’t believe the injuries were self-inflicted after finding a brain bleed and a punctured lung along with bruises and other abrasions all over his body.
Investigators discovered surveillance video from the boy’s “playroom” that showed Elmore attacking him before his death. Court documents also said that Elmore paced around in the backyard with his hands on his head while Cheyenne Elmore, who was in the room at the time of the attack but did nothing, called 911.
At a plea hearing earlier this month, Elmore admitted that he “knowingly” killed his son but said he “did not mean it,” WNDU said.
Meanwhile, Cheyenne Elmore asked for a delay in her trial to give more time to review mental health records, and the judge reset the start date to February 2, 2026. She is due back in court again on December 18.
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[Featured image: Franklin and Cheyenne Elmore/Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office. Center: Justin Elmore/family handout]
