Deputies say digital records and surveillance footage tied a Baton Rouge shooting to a wider plot.
BATON ROUGE, La. — The case against two Baton Rouge defendants was built piece by piece, investigators say, from a white pickup truck, surveillance footage, a cellphone and messages that they believe pointed back to a fatal ambush outside an apartment complex.
At the center of the investigation is the March 22 killing of Anthony Wesley Jr., who deputies say was shot outside Jefferson Lakes Apartments after arriving home. Riddick Franklin is accused of pulling the trigger. Hope Jackson, the mother of Wesley’s children, is accused of helping set the killing in motion by pressuring Franklin as a custody and child support case moved forward. Public reporting on the affidavits describes a prosecution theory driven by evidence recovery as much as motive: video establishes movement, the truck identifies a suspect, the phone fills in contact, and the messages outline what investigators say was encouragement to act.
The first break came from the scene itself. Deputies responding to the apartment complex found Wesley dead on a sidewalk in the early morning hours. When detectives reviewed surveillance footage, they said they saw the gunman shoot Wesley from behind just after he got home, then step closer and fire more rounds. Investigators canvassed nearby areas and identified a white Dodge Ram leaving shortly after the shooting. That detail narrowed the field quickly. License plate data led detectives to Franklin, and a later traffic stop put him in custody. Search warrants then moved the case from video to objects. Authorities recovered a handgun, clothing they said matched what the shooter wore in surveillance images, and Franklin’s cellphone. In many homicide cases, evidence comes in fragments; here, investigators say several pieces began lining up within hours.
What the phone contained became just as important as what the searches found. According to local reports citing the arrest documents, Franklin admitted he shot Wesley. He said he had gone there to try to “squash the beef” and “cease fire,” but also said he was tired of being disrespected. Investigators said Franklin later described disassembling the gun and washing his clothes after returning home, a detail that supported the obstruction count filed against him. The same phone, investigators said, held exchanges with Jackson that gave the state a theory of planning. In one message quoted from the warrant, Jackson allegedly wrote, “I want him OV.” Investigators said that meant she wanted Wesley finished off or killed. They also said other messages suggested urgency, including warnings that she would lose everything if action was not taken soon.
Only after those records were examined did detectives say the broader context came fully into view. Wesley had recently filed a petition involving custody, visitation and child support for the couple’s children, according to reports based on court records. Franklin allegedly told investigators Jackson was angry over those issues and worried about losing custody. That account turned a shooting investigation into a case about whether domestic legal pressure can establish motive for a planned murder. It also gave investigators a timeline to compare against communications data. Authorities said Franklin and Jackson were in repeated contact in the hours before and after the shooting. What has not yet been made public is the complete timeline of those calls and texts, whether location data from the phones will be part of later filings, or whether additional digital evidence was recovered from other devices.
The legal picture remains serious for both defendants but procedurally early. Franklin, 32, was booked on second-degree murder, obstruction of justice, illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities, and a firearm possession count tied to certain felony restrictions, according to local reporting. Jackson was later arrested on a charge of principal to second-degree murder. Both were being held without bond, and court appearances were expected in April. In the next phase, prosecutors are expected to test whether the statements, messages and search-warrant evidence can hold together under courtroom scrutiny. Defense lawyers may focus on whether Franklin’s statements were voluntary, whether slang was interpreted correctly and whether investigators can show Jackson’s alleged words were direct encouragement of murder rather than angry talk.
For now, the case stands as a study in how a homicide file can be assembled. Detectives started with a body on a sidewalk and a vehicle leaving the area. They moved to warrants, recovered objects, extracted messages and connected the evidence to a dispute already underway in court. The result is a prosecution built less on one dramatic confession than on layers of evidence that investigators say reinforce each other. Whether those layers stay intact will determine how the case proceeds.
As of April 20, the next milestone was continued court action in Baton Rouge, where the state is expected to begin laying out the evidence trail in a more formal public record.
Author note: Last updated April 20, 2026.