The Rashanda Franklin case ended on October 10, 2025, when a Contra Costa County judge sentenced Lawyer Dushan McBride to 95 years to life in state prison for murdering his ex-girlfriend in front of her two young sons more than eight years earlier. Franklin, a 29-year-old mother of three from Richmond, California, was shot to death on the morning of April 4, 2017, while driving her boys to school. She had been stalked for weeks and was planning to file a restraining order the next day.1KRON4. Man Sentenced for Murdering Richmond Woman in Front of Her Children
The Morning of the Shooting
Franklin had just left New Direction Christian Academy, a school housed in a Richmond church, after dropping off two of her sons. She noticed McBride following her in a 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550 and called 911 as she drove. He cut off her silver Jeep SUV near the intersection of 29th Street and Rheem Avenue at about 8:40 a.m., got out, and went to her driver’s side window.2East Bay Times. Woman Slain in Richmond Shooting
The 911 line was still open. It captured Franklin telling him, “I’ve got my kids in the car,” and McBride answering, “I ain’t playing with you,” before the shot. The recording ended with what prosecutors later described as the “ear-piercing screams” of her sons, ages 9 and 5, in the back seat. Franklin died at the scene. The boys were not physically harmed.3Sacramento Bee. Man Sentenced for Murdering Richmond Woman4KTVU. Richmond 2017 Murder of Rashanda Franklin
Weeks of Stalking Before the Killing
Franklin and McBride had dated for about two years before she ended the relationship. Prosecutors said he stalked and harassed her for weeks afterward. Family members said he parked across the street from the Richmond home she had recently moved into from Oakland, pressuring her to take him back. Richmond police investigators confirmed McBride had a “history of domestic violence.”5ABC7 News. Police: Richmond Murder Suspect Has History of Domestic Violence6SFGate. Richmond Mom Planned to File Restraining Order
The night before the shooting, McBride pounded on the door of the family home and screamed. Neighbors called police. Officer Thomas Peterson responded and told him to leave. Earlier that same day, Peterson had stopped McBride for a traffic violation and checked him for weapons, finding none. No arrest was made in either encounter. Officers gave Franklin a court form to apply for a restraining order, and she planned to file it the next morning. An earlier emergency protective order, obtained after an alleged assault outside her sons’ school, had already lapsed.7East Bay Times. Richmond Murder Trial Starts With a Mother’s Final 911 Call
Her father, Michael Porter, later told reporters he had not expected the situation to escalate to homicide. “But somebody should have done something,” he said.6SFGate. Richmond Mom Planned to File Restraining Order
Who Lawyer Dushan McBride Was
McBride, 43 at the time of the killing, lived in San Pablo, adjacent to Richmond. “Lawyer” was his given first name, not a professional title; there is no indication he ever practiced law.8CBS News Bay Area. Arraignment Postponed for Man Accused of Killing Richmond Mom He fled after the shooting and was arrested the next afternoon at a fast-food restaurant in Sacramento on a $2 million warrant.9SFGate. Arrest Made of Man Accused of Killing Mother
Trial and Conviction
Nearly eight years passed between the murder and the trial. Published reporting described “nearly eight years of litigation” without identifying a specific reason for the delay. The trial began on February 6, 2025, before Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Mary Ann O’Malley. McBride faced charges of murder, stalking, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and using a firearm to cause death.10KTLA. California Man Stalked, Killed Ex-Girlfriend in Front of Her Children
Prosecutors built their case on the 911 recording and on footage from residential security cameras that had captured the shooting. Defense attorney Maya Nordberg signaled the defense would challenge premeditation, calling the relationship “complicated.” The jury convicted McBride on all counts.7East Bay Times. Richmond Murder Trial Starts With a Mother’s Final 911 Call
The 95-Years-to-Life Sentence
On October 10, 2025, Judge O’Malley sentenced McBride, then 51, to 95 years to life in state prison. The sentence reflected the murder conviction along with enhancements for the additional charges. A detailed breakdown of how the term was calculated was not publicly reported.1KRON4. Man Sentenced for Murdering Richmond Woman in Front of Her Children
Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement: “While no verdict can bring back a mother taken from her children in such a senseless act of violence, this sentence provides the victim’s family with a measure of justice and accountability.”4KTVU. Richmond 2017 Murder of Rashanda Franklin
Rashanda Franklin
Franklin was 29. She worked as a beautician and was studying to renew her security guard certification. She was the mother of three boys.6SFGate. Richmond Mom Planned to File Restraining Order Her aunt, Ummu Ikharo-Oza, told reporters, “Those kids loved their mom, I know for sure.” Her mother, Barbara Harris, asked the community to “lift this family up, and her three boys up to God.”11ABC7 News. Those Kids Loved Their Mom: Family Grieves for Richmond Mother
In the days after the killing, her father said what he wanted was straightforward: “My baby is gone and there is nothing I can do to bring her back. I just want justice.”3Sacramento Bee. Man Sentenced for Murdering Richmond Woman It arrived more than eight years later.