Franklin Delano Floyd is a notorious American killer. He was sentenced to death for the murder of Cheryl Ann Commesso in 1989. Although he was sentenced to death, he claimed that he was the father of a six-year-old boy, Michael Anthony Hughes.
Sharon Marshall
A documentary called A Beautiful Child, written by an investigative journalist named Matt Birkbeck, has uncovered some details about Franklin Delano Floyd and Sharon Marshall. It turns out that the woman’s real identity was not a “naughty girl” but instead a welfare recipient.
The story of Franklin and Sharon is not a happy one. For two decades, this pair avoided law enforcement by hiding from the world and going to all the wrong places. They are now residing in a mobile home park in Valrico, Florida.
What started as a simple kidnapping turned into a murder case. Police had no idea what to do with the body. After nearly 30 years, the case was finally solved.
There are now two children whose lives were altered forever. One was adopted, and the other was given to a wealthier family in Arizona.
There was a time when it was believed that Franklin had killed Sharon Marshall. But in fact, she died of blunt force trauma to the back of her head. Afterwards, her son was placed in foster care.
Cheryl Ann Commesso
Cheryl Ann Commesso was an eighteen-year-old woman who was murdered by serial killer Franklin Floyd. She was one of the victims of a vicious crime that was broadcast on Netflix’s ‘Girl in the Picture.
Cheryl Commesso was an exotic dancer at a strip club called Mons Venus. Sharon Marshall worked at the same establishment. They had a son, Michael, who was born in 1988. However, Cheryl was missing in early April 1989.
A mechanic found photographs of Cheryl Ann Commesso’s body in her car. These were then admitted to the trial. The pictures contained images of a bound and beaten Cheryl.
The pictures were also associated with things that were known to Franklin Floyd. In many of them, children were in suggestive poses, and there were photographs of people who knew Floyd. Some of the photos also featured objects that were associated with Floyd, such as his thumb.
An expert testified that the clothing worn by the person in the photos was similar to the items found with the skeletal remains. There were also similarities in jewelry found with the body.
Suzanne Sevakis
Frank Floyd and Suzanne Sevakis, a pair of fugitives, had a complicated relationship. They lived in Tulla, Okla., and had a child named Michael.
When Sevakis was a young child, she was kidnapped by Floyd. After they were married, he abducted her younger brother.
The incident lasted for more than two decades. It was only after an FBI investigation that Sevakis’ real name was discovered. Her father was a shady character.
She was also a gifted student at Georgia Tech. Her mother, Sandra Willet, was divorced and had a young daughter, Suzanne.
Franklin Floyd had been a notorious criminal. He had been on death row for murdering Cheryl Commesso. In 2002, he was convicted of the murder. However, his conviction wasn’t enough to bring him home.
A few years later, he was caught. He was also caught in another crime. He was alleged to have stalked his co-worker, Cheryl Ann Commesso.
“Girl in the Picture” is a Netflix documentary that investigates the life of Suzanne Sevakis, a young woman who was abducted by a fugitive.
Michael Hughes
Franklin Delano Floyd was convicted of the kidnapping of Michael Hughes, a six-year-old boy. He also allegedly murdered Cheryl Commesso, a 19-year-old colleague of Floyd’s.
According to investigators, Franklin had abducted the boy from a school in Choctaw, Oklahoma. He then put him in a motel pool in Georgia, where he drowned the child.
The boy’s remains have never been found. Authorities are still searching for his body.
Franklin Delano Floyd has been imprisoned in Florida for unrelated murder charges. His case was reopened in 2013.
Before his conviction, Franklin claimed he was the father of Michael Hughes, but he failed to prove the biological relationship. Instead, he changed his story many times. In 2013, Franklin said he killed Michael the day he abducted him.
Another victim of Franklin’s is Suzanne Sevakis. She was also kidnapped by Floyd. Described by some as a “lived-in” girl, she was described as being lively and kind.
After Sevakis was abducted by Floyd, her name was changed to Sharon Marshall. When they were married, her husband went by the name Trenton B. Davis.