Death penalty sought in Barberitos, Chevron slayings in Warner Robins

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against the suspect in killings that shook the Warner Robins community in 2018.

Daniel Bruce Franz of Warner Robins is pending trial on murder charges in the Jan. 13, 2018, slaying of Chevron gas station clerk Janak Patel and the Jan. 21, 2018, killing of Barberitos worker Parker Moore.

Franz is also charged with the attempted murder of Barberitos worker Jordan Christian during the robbery of the restaurant on Watson Boulevard.

The notice to seek the death penalty in the slayings was filed Wednesday in Houston County Superior Court by District Attorney George Hartwig. He could not be reached for comment.

Leah Maas of Warner Robins, Moore’s mother, said, “I’m just happy that they’re moving forward in the case is really all I can say at this point and that my goal is just to continue to spread Parker’s name in positive light.

“I want people to know Parker for who he was — not because of news stories about how he died,” she said.

Franz is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in a fatal shooting.

Franz was convicted of shooting and killing Vincent Junior, 28, a Warner Robins public works employee, inside Junior’s apartment at Tanglewood Apartments over a bag of marijuana on Jan. 13, 2018.

A few days before the Barberitos killing, Warner Robins police announced that arrest warrants for murder and related charges had been issued for Franz in the shooting at Tanglewood Apartments on Elberta Road.

Shortly after his arrest, Franz was named as the suspect in the Barberitos killing and a fatal shooting at the Chevon gas station.

But it wasn’t until Oct. 8 of this year that Franz was indicted on murder and related charges in those two slayings.

Warner Robins police detectives expressed confidence that they had the right man behind bars and pledged to continue to build their cases against Franz.

A chilling detail released by police was that victims in both the Barberitos and Chevron slayings did not put up any resistance and were complying with demands when they were shot.

Franz’s Warner Robins attorney Carl Veline could not be reached for comment.

This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 1:58 PM.