Odenton Murder Case Solved With DNA Phenotyping

ODENTON, MD — An unsolved Odenton case has been closed thanks to innovative technology, which has led to the sentencing of a 33-year-old Glen Burnie man in the first degree murder of Michael Anthony Temple. Fred Lee Frampton, Jr., has been sentenced to life in prison with all but 55 years to be served in Temple's murder.

By using Parabon Snapshot DNA Phenotyping Service, a technology that produces a descriptive profile of the source of any human DNA sample, experts were able to match the DNA left behind at the crime scene eight years ago to Frampton. This is the first time this type of DNA technology was used to solve an Anne Arundel County crime.

"With this sentence, Mr. Frampton will be held fully accountable for taking the life of Mr. Temple and his vicious attack on Donald Gagnon, Margaret Ridgely and Kelly Skarwecki," said Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess in a statement. "The Parabon Snapshot DNA Phenotyping Service, coupled with good old-fashioned police work, led to the successful prosecution of this crime. This case illustrates exactly how our our county's law enforcement team will not give up in seeking justice for violent crime victims."

On Feb. 2, 2010, the Anne Arundel County Police Department responded to the 500 block of Williamsburg Lane in Odenton for a report of a home invasion robbery and a shooting. Police officers found Temple inside the home suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital. Donald Gagnon, Margaret Ridgely and Kelly Skarwecki also were in the home with Temple.

Officers learned that at approximately 8:50 p.m., two white males entered the residence and one pistol-whipped Gagnon on the side of the head knocking him to the floor. Suspect 1, later identified as Frampton, Jr., pointed a gun at Gagnon while Suspect 2, later identified as Jonathan Ludwig, duct taped the victim's hands behind his back, taped his ankles together and covered his mouth, then took his wallet.

According to police reports, the suspects headed to the basement where Temple, Ridgely and Skarwecki were at. Frampton ordered them to the floor and demanded money while pointing a gun at them. Temple jumped on Frampton and began to fight with him. Ridgely fought with Ludwig and she was struck on her left eyebrow cutting her. Ludwig then strangled Ridgely who fought back and fell to the floor after becoming dizzy. Temple continued to fight with Frampton, leaving the bedroom and ending up in the laundry room. Ridgely told police that a few seconds later, she heard two consecutive gunshots.

Police recovered multiple shell casings, a four-inch blade folding knife and a partial projectile on the floor. Ridgely told police that she believed the suspects had taken somewhere between $2,100 and $2,500 from the residence. Temple told police he believed he had stabbed the man who shot him, and crime scene technicians recovered blood stains from the knife for testing. Temple was ultimately paralyzed from his injuries.

On June 18, 2015, Temple died due to complications of the gunshot wounds he suffered five years earlier. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland ruled his death a homicide. In December 2015, Parabon NanoLabs provided police with a composite sketch they had developed, detailing that the suspect DNA belonged to a fair skinned male with green/hazel eyes, brown/blonde hair from a northern/western European decent.

On July 16, 2018, Parabon NanoLabs provided the Anne Arundel County Police Department Homicide Unit with a genealogy report they generated from individuals participating in their data base. The amount of shared DNA between the suspect and voluntary participants in the data base enabled the company to generate family ancestry lines to assist in the investigation. A few months later, Parabon contacted the police and revealed that Frampton, Jr., was the suspect.

Police followed Frampton and on Oct. 10, 2018, they confiscated a discarded coffee cup he tossed on the ground at a gas station in Crofton and a cigarette in the parking lot at a Roy Rogers. Police recovered both items for testing in the county's forensic laboratory. Sarah Chenoweth, a senior forensic chemist, extracted DNA from the cup and cigarette and found they shared the same source of DNA that was found on the blade of the knife recovered from the crime scene. That testing confirmed that police had the right suspect.

On Nov. 1, 2018, Frampton, Jr., was arrested. During a search of his home, a handgun later identified as the one used in the crime scene was recovered. He was questioned by detectives and confessed to the murder and home invasion. Suspect Jonathan Ludwig died from an overdose in March 2018 shortly before police would zero in on him through his DNA and corroborate evidence linking him to the crime.