True crime Friday: Antoinette Renee Frank, Killer Cop
Antoinette Renee Frank is a convicted notorious triple murderer. Frank was a police officer in the State of Louisiana. While working a part-time security job at an Asian establishment in New Orleans, Frank and an accomplice murdered the Vu family and the officer that was working with her as security for the restaurant. Frank and her lover Rogers LaCaze committed a bloody triple murder of an innocent family who fed her, loaned her money and treated her like family before she turned on them.
Antoinette Frank Early Childhood
Antoinette Renee Frank was born April 30, 1971. Frank’s brother was a fugitive, and her father appeared in her life only occasionally but ended up having to live with her for medical reasons. As with most killers, Frank suffered an awful childhood. There are several books and articles revealing a devastating history of abuse at the hands of her father. There are article detailing graphic descriptions of sexual violence. It is rumored that Frank killed her father and buried his body in an undisclosed location.The System Fails Yet Again
Antoinette Frank applied to the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) in 1993. Frank was caught lying on several sections of her employment application and failed two standard psychiatric evaluations. The doctor advised against her hiring. After Frank failed a psychological test required to be a police officer. She appealed the decision and sought her own doctor who gave her a clean mental health bill. The NOPD was chronically short-handed and its officers were paid less than in similarly sized cities. NOPD was losing officers faster than they could be replaced. The ranks had been decimated by several arrests for murder and drug activity.
Many potential applicants were shut out due to a requirement that all officers be residents of New Orleans. NOPD officials also thought having more African-Americans like Frank on the force would ease longstanding racial tensions in the majority-black city. She was hired on February 7, 1993, and graduated from the police academy on February 28 1993. Frank graduated near the top of her academy class.
The association between Frank and Lacaze became noticeable after other police officers witnessed Lacaze driving her car, and even observed him moving her police unit at the scene of an accident she was investigating. Lacaze accompanied her on a complaint call where she introduced him as an officer in training. Frank also introduced Lacaze as her nephew. Prior to the murders, witness testified that Frank and Lacaze would pull over and rob motorists while in a squad car.
Dittrich, Stacy, (2009), Murder Behind the Badge: True Stories of Cops Who Kill, Prometheus Books.
Hustmyre, Chuck, (2008), Killer with a Badge: The Story of Antoinette Frank, The Copkilling Cop, Iuniverse Books.
List of women on death row in the United States
Reyes, Traciy Curry, (2020) Blood On Her Badge: The Real Dee & Trey in TV One True-Story Movie, TV Crime Sky.
Many potential applicants were shut out due to a requirement that all officers be residents of New Orleans. NOPD officials also thought having more African-Americans like Frank on the force would ease longstanding racial tensions in the majority-black city. She was hired on February 7, 1993, and graduated from the police academy on February 28 1993. Frank graduated near the top of her academy class.
A Meeting Made In Hell
Frank handled an incident in which Rogers Lacaze, a former police officer turned drug dealer had been shot. This is the first known contact between the two killers. Frank claims that they met some eight months before the murders. Frank had taken a statement from Lacaze after he was shot on the street, and initially got closer to him in hopes of turning his life around. Frank became smitten by Lacaze's and their relationship soon turned sexual.The association between Frank and Lacaze became noticeable after other police officers witnessed Lacaze driving her car, and even observed him moving her police unit at the scene of an accident she was investigating. Lacaze accompanied her on a complaint call where she introduced him as an officer in training. Frank also introduced Lacaze as her nephew. Prior to the murders, witness testified that Frank and Lacaze would pull over and rob motorists while in a squad car.
Lady Justice
The Antoinette Frank conviction still resonates in parts of the city today. It was a case that gripped Louisiana, part of an extensive list of violence and corruption scandals tied to local law enforcement at the time. Frank has been in solitary confinement for 27 years. Frank has cycled between disciplinary units in different prisons. Separated from the general penitentiary population, the prisoner has, according to legal letters, endured a singularly harsh existence in custody such as spates of extended lockdowns, no access to in-person classes, death threats and sexual humiliation. She is the only woman and woman of color on death row in Louisiana.Reference
Antoinette Frank - WikipediaDittrich, Stacy, (2009), Murder Behind the Badge: True Stories of Cops Who Kill, Prometheus Books.
Hustmyre, Chuck, (2008), Killer with a Badge: The Story of Antoinette Frank, The Copkilling Cop, Iuniverse Books.
List of women on death row in the United States
Reyes, Traciy Curry, (2020) Blood On Her Badge: The Real Dee & Trey in TV One True-Story Movie, TV Crime Sky.
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