County man arrested in dismemberment murder case
by Andy Phelan
andy@dekalbchamp.com
A DeKalb County man was arrested and charged with murder Nov. 11 in the dismemberment death of his girlfriend, according to officials from the GBI.
Franklin Benson, 47, who owns an automotive shop on Covington Highway, was in a Newton County jail awaiting a bond hearing on Nov. 12.
The human foot that a bartender found her dogs fighting over behind an abandoned home in Newton County south of Covington on Halloween Eve belonged to Leslyan Patrice Williams, 49, said GBI spokesman John Bankhead.
Bankhead said Benson and Williams lived together off South Hairston Road in Decatur.
“We’ve found everything but the head and torso,” said Bankhead. “This is an ongoing investigation.”
More than a dozen officers from DeKalb Police, Newton County and the GBI searched Benson’s auto repair business Nov. 12.
Bankhead said no murder scene or weapons had been found as of Monday. He would not discuss the evidence against Benson.
Williams, originally from Michigan, was reported missing by relatives from her home state on Oct. 28. According to Bankhead, members of her family traveled to Atlanta to find her.
On Oct. 30, a bartender came home from work and let her dogs out. Two of the dogs began fighting over something on the edge of a wooded area next to a vacant home near a small lake, said Bankhead. It turned out to be Williams’ foot.
Soon other body parts -- arms, legs and a hand -- were found scattered nearby. Bankhead said the GBI identified Williams through fingerprints.
Bankhead said authorities believe the murder took place “ just a day or two” after the parts were found “judging from the condition of the body parts.”
The GBI asks anyone with information on Benson or Williams to call 1-800-597-8477.
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