Closing arguments set for Indio man accused of murdering girlfriend

Testimony concluded Tuesday in the trial of an Indio man accused of killing his 41-year-old girlfriend — a Palm Desert High School teacher — and dumping her body at a golf course in Indio.

Closing arguments are scheduled Thursday morning in the trial of Michael John Franco, who is accused of cutting Jill Grant’s throat with a box cutter, then running her over with her Toyota Prius after the initial attack failed to kill her.

Grant’s body was found at the Golf Club at Terra Lago by golf course employees in the early morning hours of Dec. 23, 2013. Franco, who faces life in prison without parole if convicted, testified last week that he has no memory of killing Grant because he was high on methamphetamine.

The 46-year-old defendant said his memory is “fuzzy” for a period of nearly 24 hours starting from the night of Dec. 22, 2013, until the following evening.

“It’s almost impossible for me to put it together,” he testified. “I wrack my brain over it all the time.”

Prosecutors allege that days after the killing, Franco confessed to the crime to a fellow cellmate at the Indio county jail, stating that “The human body is resilient” and “It is difficult for someone to actually die.”

Franco denied making the statements and his attorney, Dante Gomez, claimed that the inmate fabricated the exchange with Franco for a plea deal to avoid prison time on a vehicle theft charge.

After injecting methamphetamine at their home in the 84-400 block of Onda Drive, Franco stated that he received a text message from a friend that led to a violent argument with Grant. Franco’s friend asked for his drug dealer’s phone number, which Franco said angered Grant because they had an agreement for him to only use meth in the house, due to his history of addiction.

Deputy District Attorney Kristi Kirk has argued that no such arrangement existed and that his continued drug use was a strain on their relationship, with Grant pushing Franco to attend rehab and regularly drug-testing him at their home.

After Grant saw the text message, Franco stated that a night-long argument ensued, which included talk of ending the relationship and kicking him out of the house.

Franco claimed he only remembered bits and pieces of the next 24 hours, and had no memory of cutting her throat, cleaning blood and brush off the Prius later that night at an Indio gas station or making recorded statements to police upon his arrest, which included “You’re going to have to (expletive) shoot me,” that he had drained his bank accounts and that he was poised to flee to Mexico.

Franco was arrested Dec. 24, 2013, at a home in Palm Desert. Kirk said he had to be Tasered after he allegedly reached for a gun inside Grant’s Prius.

Friends of the couple became suspicious on the night of Dec. 23 when a Christmas party they were scheduled to host at their home was abruptly canceled, with guests being turned away at the main gate of the Terra Lago housing tract.

One of the guests, fellow Palm Desert High teacher Shaw Zaidins, testified that he phoned Franco, and was told that Grant had left angry the previous night following a “knockdown, drag-out fight over a drug deal.”

Investigators said a search conducted the following day at the residence revealed blood on several items throughout the house and shoe prints consistent with impressions found at the crime scene, according to court records.

Franco’s friend also told police that he received a recorded message on his phone from Franco’s phone at 12:26 a.m. Dec. 23. He heard what sounded like “a female begging for her life” on the call, which he thought had been made inadvertently.

In the recording, Grant appears to be telling Franco that they should call police and report that she was attacked by someone else. He allegedly responded that he would take her to the hospital and call 911, at which point Grant responds by saying, “Wait until I can think of another idea. What if I drive the car someplace and call myself and say I was attacked? Would that work (inaudible).”

Franco testified he did not remember making those statements, but admitted it was his and Grant’s voices on the recording.

Grant grew up in the Santa Rosa Mountains above Palm Springs and attended Palm Desert Middle School and Palm Desert High School, graduating in 1990. She attended College of the Desert, then transferred to Cal State San Bernardino, where she majored in mathematics.

She taught math at Palm Springs High School for three years, starting in 1995, then began teaching at her alma mater in 1998.

4-10-17 – Teacher testifies at former colleagues murder trial

A Palm Desert High School math teacher testified Monday that a colleague allegedly killed by her live-in boyfriend 3 1/2 years ago got into a “knockdown, drag-out fight over a drug deal” with him on the night of
her death.

Shaw Zaidins testified in the trial of Michael John Franco, 46, who is accused of using a box cutter to slit the throat of Palm Desert High School teacher Jill Grant, 41, then running her over with her Toyota Prius after the
box cutter attack failed to kill her.

Her body was found at the Golf Club at Terra Lago in the early morning hours of Dec. 23, 2013.

Zaidins was one of several people planning to attend a Christmas party at Grant and Franco’s home on the night of Dec. 23, until the party was abruptly canceled, with several guests being turned away at the main gate of the Terra Lago housing tract on Onda Drive.

Zaidins said he was initially contacted by Grant’s brother, Michael Thomas, that night, who told him that she was missing. About 7:30 p.m., he said he then called Franco, who was “cagey” and did not elaborate much on the party’s cancellation other than saying “Jill’s not here.”

After further conversation, Franco then told Zaidins that he and Grant had a “knockdown, drag-out fight over a drug deal,” the witness said.

Franco testified last week that the impetus between the couple’s argument on the night of Dec. 22, 2013, was a text message from a friend asking for the phone number of Franco’s drug dealer. He said Grant became enraged over the text because they had an agreement for him to only use meth in the house, due to his history of addiction.

Franco said he remembers little after the argument began due to shooting up methamphetamine, with his memory “fuzzy” for a period of nearly 24 hours starting from the night of Dec. 22 until the following evening, when he remembers being at a friend’s home in Palm Desert.

Franco testified to not remembering cutting Grant’s throat, driving to a gas station in her car shortly after the body’s discovery and driving to a Chase bank afterward to withdraw cash using her ATM card. Gas station surveillance footage captured a man strongly resembling Franco removing brush from the front of the car and wiping something off of the wheel.

Franco admitted the man in the footage looked like him, but said he does not remember being there.

He also testified that he remembered being arrested in the early morning hours of Dec. 24, but doesn’t recall recorded statements he made, which included telling police, “You’re going to have to (expletive) shoot me,” that he had drained his bank accounts and that he was poised to flee to Mexico.

Deputy District Attorney Kristi Kirk has argued that no such methamphetamine arrangement existed between the couple and that his continued drug use was a strain on their relationship, with Grant pushing Franco to
attend rehab and regularly drug-testing him at their home.

Franco faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of murder and special circumstance allegations of torture and committing the murder in the commission of a kidnapping.

Grant grew up in the Santa Rosa Mountains above Palm Springs and attended Palm Desert Middle School and Palm Desert High School, graduating in 1990.

She attended College of the Desert, then transferred to Cal State San Bernardino, where she majored in mathematics. She taught math at Palm Springs High School for three years, starting in 1995, then began teaching at her alma mater in 1998.

Testimony in the trial is expected to wrap up later this week.

Read: Crime Headlines from the Coachella Valley

Testimony concluded today in the trial of an Indio man
accused of killing his 41-year-old girlfriend — a Palm Desert High School
teacher — and dumping her body at a golf course in Indio.
Closing arguments are scheduled Thursday morning in the trial of Michael
John Franco, who is accused of cutting Jill Grant’s throat with a box cutter,
then running her over with her Toyota Prius after the initial attack failed to
kill her.
Grant’s body was found at the Golf Club at Terra Lago by golf course
employees in the early morning hours of Dec. 23, 2013.
Franco, who faces life in prison without parole if convicted, testified
last week that he has no memory of killing Grant because he was high on
methamphetamine.
The 46-year-old defendant said his memory is “fuzzy” for a period of
nearly 24 hours starting from the night of Dec. 22, 2013, until the following
evening.
“It’s almost impossible for me to put it together,” he testified. “I
wrack my brain over it all the time.”
Prosecutors allege that days after the killing, Franco confessed to the
crime to a fellow cellmate at the Indio county jail, stating that “The human
body is resilient” and “It is difficult for someone to actually die.”
Franco denied making the statements and his attorney, Dante Gomez,
claimed that the inmate fabricated the exchange with Franco for a plea deal to
avoid prison time on a vehicle theft charge.
After injecting methamphetamine at their home in the 84-400 block of
Onda Drive, Franco stated that he received a text message from a friend that
led to a violent argument with Grant. Franco’s friend asked for his drug
dealer’s phone number, which Franco said angered Grant because they had an
agreement for him to only use meth in the house, due to his history of
addiction.
Deputy District Attorney Kristi Kirk has argued that no such arrangement
existed and that his continued drug use was a strain on their relationship,
with Grant pushing Franco to attend rehab and regularly drug-testing him at
their home.
After Grant saw the text message, Franco stated that a night-long
argument ensued, which included talk of ending the relationship and kicking him
out of the house.
Franco claimed he only remembered bits and pieces of the next 24 hours,
and had no memory of cutting her throat, cleaning blood and brush off the Prius
later that night at an Indio gas station or making recorded statements to
police upon his arrest, which included “You’re going to have to (expletive)
shoot me,” that he had drained his bank accounts and that he was poised to
flee to Mexico.
Franco was arrested Dec. 24, 2013, at a home in Palm Desert. Kirk said
he had to be Tasered after he allegedly reached for a gun inside Grant’s Prius.
Friends of the couple became suspicious on the night of Dec. 23 when a
Christmas party they were scheduled to host at their home was abruptly
canceled, with guests being turned away at the main gate of the Terra Lago
housing tract.
One of the guests, fellow Palm Desert High teacher Shaw Zaidins,
testified that he phoned Franco, and was told that Grant had left angry the
previous night following a “knockdown, drag-out fight over a drug deal.”
Investigators said a search conducted the following day at the residence
revealed blood on several items throughout the house and shoe prints
consistent with impressions found at the crime scene, according to court
records.
Franco’s friend also told police that he received a recorded message on
his phone from Franco’s phone at 12:26 a.m. Dec. 23. He heard what sounded like
“a female begging for her life” on the call, which he thought had been made
inadvertently.
In the recording, Grant appears to be telling Franco that they should
call police and report that she was attacked by someone else. He allegedly
responded that he would take her to the hospital and call 911, at which point
Grant responds by saying, “Wait until I can think of another idea. What if I
drive the car someplace and call myself and say I was attacked? Would that work
(inaudible).”
Franco testified he did not remember making those statements, but
admitted it was his and Grant’s voices on the recording.
Grant grew up in the Santa Rosa Mountains above Palm Springs and
attended Palm Desert Middle School and Palm Desert High School, graduating in
1990. She attended College of the Desert, then transferred to Cal State San
Bernardino, where she majored in mathematics.
She taught math at Palm Springs High School for three years, starting in
1995, then began teaching at her alma mater in 1998.