Murder on Songbird Road - Murder in Oregon: 2026 UPDATE- The Fight for Justice, Revisited

Episode Date: August 4, 2026

After nearly 40 years- including 29 spent behind bars- Frank Gable has officially been declared innocent of Michael Francke’s murder. It’s a stunning moment and a long-awaited measure of justice. But Michael’s murder remains unsolved. In this special update, Lauren Bright Pacheco is joined by journalist Phil Stanford and Michael’s brothers, Kevin and Pat, to revisit the case, reflect on Frank’s exoneration, and confront the question that still remains: What does justice for Michael look like now? Drawing on new revelations from Phil’s latest book, Who Killed Michael Francke- and How They Got Away With It, this powerful update returns to the case that, nearly four decades later, still demands answers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, it's Lauren Bray Pacheco. Some stories just stay with you. For me, murder in Oregon is one of them. I was lucky to work on it and even luckier to meet three formidable men along the way, journalist Phil Stanford and Michael Frankie's brothers, Kevin and Pat.

Our podcast made the case that Frank Gable had spent 29 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. In 2019, his conviction was overturned. And now this week, a Marion County judge has signed Frank's official certificate of innocence. It's an extraordinary moment, but it's also undeniable that Michael Frankie's murder remains unsolved. Today, I'm joined by Kevin, Phil, and Pat to talk about Frank, Michael, and the questions that still haven't been answered, ones that Phil explores in his latest book,

who killed Michael Frankie and how they got away with it. First of all, it's so great to see you guys. Thank you for joining me. I have to ask right out of the gate, Kevin and Pat, you know, Frank Gable has finally been declared, beyond all doubt, officially innocent of the murder of your brother. How did you guys react when you heard the news? For the second time in 10 years, I've cried.

And that was just Thursday. The time before that was when I got the news that had been released from the penitentiary in Kansas. And Pat, how about you? I was ecstatic. I was happy. Phil, how about you? Yeah. Kevin called and very excited, said that Frank's, the first time Frank is innocent, which is a joke with us because we've known for, some time that they never had a case against him. I think we were expecting the judge to rule a couple days later, and he didn't wait.

It really was the final stake in the heart of all these people who insist, insist that he's still guilty. I mean, there's no way they can do it. There was no way before with the Ninth Circuit court ruling or even with the evidence on hand. But this is the final stake in the heart of the Gable resistance. So let me ask you this, Kevin, starting with you, does this and how does this change the way you think about your brother's murder? Well, I've said for many, many, many years that I did not want Mike's legacy to be that there were two people killed himself and Frank Gable. That was just...

for insult in the wound. And, you know, if Mike were here right now, he would be beside himself with happiness. Pat, any thoughts on that? I agree. Mike wouldn't want injustice for anyone. And now going back to you, Phil, because I just finished reading your book, and I have to say it's phenomenal. It really, in a very masterful way, puts together all these pieces and, connects all the dots. And I think that it is an absolute must for anybody who listen to the

podcast because it just fleshes things out so fully. And the timing could not be any better in terms of where we are now, that it's officially an unsolved murder. But you know, you've spent decades looking into this. Why was it so important for you to finish this book? Well, because justice has simply not been done yet. It's not just a matter of Frank being not guilty or declared innocent, as happened most recently. But once you understand that and understand that they made up the entire case against him, then you have to start thinking, why did they do this? What were they covering up? And so that's what the book is about. At least it's what I try to do is, is is show why there was a cover-up, what they had to cover up,

and just what a railroad job this thing was. The appalling thing, the thing that pisses me off so much is this wasn't just a crooked lab technician or a dirty cop trying to save his ass. This was a handful of people from the district attorney's office. You had the governor and his minions involved. And you had the state police from the head investigators all the way up to the head of the criminal division, Dennis O'Donnell, that all had a hand in it with full open eyes and knowledge and cooperation of all the parties. It was that big and that disgusting.

Goldschmidt passed in 2024, but it seems that the people who were his protégés fought this tooth and nail as well. In other words, it was corruption and a cover-up before, during, and for four decades since. Why has the state of Oregon been so adamant about protecting this ruling? I think there were a lot of people that had a lot of stuff that would have ruined their lives individually. It wasn't one giant conspiracy theory. I think Goldsmith was dirty for reasons. They came out much later, and he was going to be exposed. They all had something where they were stealing, doing deals with drug dealers involved in the underworld, dirty cops, dirty prosecutors,

and they all had something to cover up. Certainly, Scott McAllenka, had probably as much to do with this. they say it was a murder as anybody on the planet. I also am always struck by the fact that Scott McAllister's then-girlfriend's affidavit had been in the possession of Gable's defense attorney for five months before the trial began. And it was never mentioned in the trial, which is almost proof positive that Gables' own. defense lawyer was in the bag. He made several hundred thousand dollars off the trial and before the trial started, he was so broke and so out of work that he didn't couldn't even afford to have an office. So when his buddy, the presiding judge, gave him the case, he knew exactly what he was supposed

to do, which was not to get into any of this quote conspiracy stuff as the judge frequently reminded him, and he didn't. He didn't get, he never brought up the McAllister affidavit. It is amazing. It's, you know, it's not a question of one bad apple. This was, this was an entire bundle of rotten apples who were working in conjunction with one another. Yeah, yeah, everyone had something to cover up. That's the thing. And everyone had something on someone else. And from the beginning. It was like a big sweater down in Salem with one strand of yarn loose. And if someone pulled on it, the whole thing would come apart. The DA's office knew the place was corrupt. They knew there was reason to investigate the possible connection between corruption and corrections,

which Michael Frankie was indeed investigating. And from the beginning, they denied that he was investigating corruption. They came up immediately with the idea that it was a car burglary gone bad, and then they made up a case against Frank Gable, who didn't have anything at all to do with the case. And they portrayed you as obsessive. They portrayed you, Kevin, as unhinged with grief over your brother's murder. I know how much validation this certificate.

certificate of innocence for Frank must give you all, both professionally and personally for you, Phil, and on such deep levels for you, Pat, and you, Kevin. But what would justice look like at this point? What would you still like to be seen done now that we officially know that your brother's murder is unsolved? Go ahead, Pat. I would like to see them first acknowledge it to stay police, the gun. The federal attorney's general's office has still not accepted the fact that he's innocent?

Kevin? Well, I agree with Pat. First thing is acknowledge the fact that they obviously created a case against an innocent individual and apologize. And number two, correct it. And they can't correct it by bringing the state police back. into it because they're going to do everything to cover their ass again. They need to bring in an outside agency as in the FBI and appoint a special prosecutor that has nothing to do and no preconceived notions about guilt or innocence of Frank Gable. And that's going to be hell on

wheels if it ever happens. Phil, having been raked over the coals after Frank was convicted by the Oregonian, where you were a columnist. What does this mean to you professionally to have this kind of validation? Well, I mean, first of all, it's very nice to be proved right on something like this. What it finally meant to me was a chance with the court rulings, the great habeas corpus petition, and all the investigation that we've done over the years, Kevin and myself and others, to finally sit down and try to string it all together.

And the FBI would have to investigate it and find the people who were involved one way or another and give them incentives to talk. An honest investigation is, is the only thing that could possibly bring this to a close? I hope that it happens because the Frankie family deserves it, Michael Frankie deserves it, Frank Gable deserves it, and they have a wonderful map in your book.

It's all laid out there, like a blueprint. You've done a lot of the hard work for them. It's quite clear that the state has avoided it for 35 some years. Well, Frank Gable is moving forward with his lawsuit against the individuals that he and the firm Loewe and Loevi and Lovi that's representing him. Two dozen individuals. Two dozen individuals that were, I think all but one of them, I can say, were corrupt. Yeah, talk about a rat's nest of corruption, as Phil likes to say. Well, yeah, I would love to see a federal agency get involved because justice is due to all of you, but most particularly to your brother.

And so that is my deepest hope. And I have to say that I do hope everybody reads Phil's excellent book. Again, it's called Who Killed Michael Frankie and How They Got Away With It? and you can find it on Amazon, where I got mine, or any purveyor of excellent books. Well, it is wonderful to see you all again, and I'm so happy for Frank Gable, and I want nothing more than for you, gentlemen,

to all have closure as well. Frank Gable is damaged for the rest of his life. He's still got serious T-T-S-D. He wakes up a night sometimes, have nightmares, it's always going to affect him for the rest of his life. Damn them. I agree. After nearly four decades, Frank Abel finally has a certificate of innocence.

That matters. But it doesn't give him back the life he lost. And it doesn't answer the question Michael Frankie's family has been asking for decades and the driving one behind Phil Stamford's new book. Who killed Michael Frankie? That question still matters and so does the search for the truth. I'm grateful to fill Kevin and Pat for continuing to ask hard questions and for trusting me to be part of this story

because sometimes justice takes a very, very long time. But Frank's official certificate of Innocent shows it can come and I hope it will come for Michael Frankie too soon. This is an I-Heart podcast, Guaranteed Human.