Background: News footage of the Elkhart County Courthouse in Goshen, Ind. (WNDU). Inset (left): Franklin Elmore Jr. (Indiana County Jail Public Portal). Inset (right): Justin Elmore (GoFundMe).
An Indiana man who claimed his son "hit himself" in the head before he died pleaded guilty to the boy's murder.
Franklin Elmore Jr., 29, was arrested in August along with his wife, Cheyenne Elmore, 27, after Franklin Elmore's 6-year-old son Justin died of injuries he sustained when his father attacked him in his playroom. Both the father and stepmother of the boy were charged with murder, and last month, Franklin Elmore entered a guilty plea.
Local NBC affiliate WNDU was in the courtroom on Oct. 9 when Franklin Elmore admitted to killing his own son, saying that he "did not mean it" when he was asked to admit that he "physically beat your son and he died."
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As Law&Crime previously reported, the Elmores called 911 on the night of Aug. 3 when Justin became "unresponsive" after Franklin Elmore "attacked" him. The couple told authorities that the boy had behavioral issues and would "hit himself" in the head. When the boy arrived at the hospital, medical staff noted that he had "a traumatic brain injury and a punctured lung," according to the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office. Such injuries, the medical staff said, could not have been self-inflicted.
An investigation into the Elmores allegedly revealed excessive disciplinary measures handed out by the father and stepmother, including "whoop[ing]" the boy with a belt or hand and hours of physical exercise. Prosecutors said that Cheyenne Elmore had complained to her husband about the boy's behavior.
A search of the Elmores' phones allegedly yielded several photos of Justin with bruises and other visible injuries.
Justin's birth mother, Miranda McBride, had tried to report the alleged abuse of her son to Indiana authorities, but they reportedly told her that "they could do nothing because they didn't find any bruises."
Cheyenne Elmore pleaded not guilty to her murder charge. She is scheduled to go on trial in February 2026 and is due in court on Dec. 18.
WNDU reported that while Franklin Elmore and his attorney say they reached a blanket plea agreement with prosecutors, Elkhart County Prosecutor Vicki Becker told the station that she had not made any plea agreements with Franklin Elmore. Online records reportedly show that his trial was canceled and he is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 25.