OKLAHOMA CITY– Stunning new evidence was introduced Wednesday morning at a bond hearing for Bert Franklin, 35, the Tulsa dentist accused of killing an Oklahoma City baby last month.
Lincoln Lewis, 19 months, was rushed to Mercy Hospital in the early morning hours of July 17th.
He was airlifted to a Tulsa Hospital where he later died.
Doctors said he had a skull fracture and brain bleed that were consistent with abuse.
Franklin had been dating Lewis’ mother, Roxanne Randall, for about a year, but was also married and had a wife and four children living in Tulsa.
Prosecutors played home surveillance video from Randall’s house the night Lewis was allegedly injured.
The video shows Franklin walking down the stairs in the home with Lewis in his arms.
The baby is sitting up in Franklin’s arms and appears to be fine.
Franklin takes Lewis into the living room and it’s difficult to see exactly what happens because the camera is in the kitchen.
But an Oklahoma City detective testified Wednesday morning at the hearing that she believes the video shows Franklin slamming Lewis head first into the ground and then shows him making a violent kicking motion at a spot on the floor.
A short time later, it shows him carrying a limp baby in one arm as he walks into the kitchen and gets a piece of pizza.
Lewis’ mother told police she heard a loud thud and came downstairs, but Franklin told her he was throwing a ball to the dog.
The mother told police the baby was lying on the couch with pillows around him when she went down and that Franklin told her the baby was sleeping.
They later put Lewis to bed and didn’t realize anything was wrong until about 2:00 the next morning when Randall tried to wake Lewis for his bottle.
She told police the baby’s eyes were open and his breathing was labored.
Prosecutors offered up a possible motive Wednesday morning, saying Franklin was upset because Randall had been spending time with Lewis’ biological father.
They also told the judge Franklin would be a flight risk because of his financial troubles and the fact that he’s lost everything, including his Tulsa dental practice.
The state also offered up evidence that one of Franklin’s biological children accused him of abuse in the past and violent texts they say Franklin had sent to Lewis’ biological father.
In the end, District Judge, Cindy Truong, agreed with the prosecution and denied Franklin’s bond, calling him a danger to the community.
Franklin’s attorney said they will try again.
“Hopefully in the near future after we get through the preliminary hearing, we’ll re-urge the motion and I think it will be successful,” said Scott Adams.
No family members had seen the home surveillance video before it was played in court and there was audible sobbing as they watched the images.
Adams said he had not seen the video before either, but he said he wasn’t concerned about it.
“But there’s really nothing on the video that surprised me. I mean it is what it is. And again, Dr. Franklin has told us there was a dog in there and any actions he had was towards the dog and I believe him,” said Adams.
NewsChannel 4 requested a copy of the video played in open court in Judge Truong’s courtroom. The district attorney’s office denied the open records request.