Joseph Paul Franklin

The Racist Killer

  Active for 4 years
(1977-1980) in United States

8

CONFIRMED
VICTIMS

20

POSSIBLE
VICTIMS
Jump to:
  1. Summary
  2. Serial Killer Profile
  3. Serial Killer Type
  4. General Information
  5. Characteristics
  6. Childhood
  7. Cognitive Ability
  8. Incarceration
  9. Death
  10. 11 Timeline Events
  11. Serial Killers Active During Spree
  12. Boolean Statistical Questions
  13. 11 Books About Joseph Paul Franklin
  14. 8 External References
  15. Internal References

Joseph Paul Franklin (born James Clayton Vaughn Jr.) an American white supremacist serial killer who confessed to 20 murders and several attempted murders. Franklin received six life sentences, as well as the death sentence. He was executed by lethal injection on November 20th 2013.

Joseph Paul Franklin Serial Killer Profile

Serial Killer Joseph Paul Franklin (aka) The Racist Killer, was active for 4 years between 1977-1980, known to have ( 8 confirmed / 20 possible ) victims. This Serial Killer was active in the following countries: United States

Joseph Paul Franklin was born on April 13th 1950 in Mobile, county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. He was born 2nd of 4 children and raised by both parents until (Age 8), mother until adulthood. Franklin was raised as a middle child and had two sisters and one brother. Carolyn, Marilyn and Gordon. His father, James Clayton Vaughn Sr., an epileptic World War II veteran and butcher, abandoned Joseph (Age 8). His mother, Helen Rau Vaughn. His father abused alcohol and/or drugs. He had a physically defect. Joseph Paul Franklin was physically psychologically abused at some point of his life.

Franklin a heterosexual male citizen of the United States of America, with religious ties and/or beliefs connected with the Apostasy in Catholicism religion, organization or belief system. Franklin completed 10 years of school, no degree received. Franklin married Bobbie Louise Dorman, divorced within four months, Franklin (Age 18), married Anita Carden, Franklin (Age 28). He had at least one child, Franklin (Age 29). He had a medical condition: blindness.

In 1977 (Age 26/27) Joseph Paul Franklin started his killing spree, during his crimes as a serial killer he was known to murder his victims. Joseph Paul Franklin used a weapon and was in possession of a firearm during his crimes. At the time of his crimes he was living with his mother, his wife and the longest as a drifter, where Franklin was known to work as a murderer, journalist.

He was arrested on October 28th 1980 (Age 30), convicted on February 27th 1997 (Age 46), sentenced to death by lethal injection at Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri, US. Franklin was convicted on charges of murder and other possible charges during his lifetime. Joseph Paul Franklin was executed on November 20th 2013 (Age 63).

Joseph Paul Franklin died on November 20th 2013 (Age 63), cause of death: capital punishment, executed by lethal injection at Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri, US.

Profile Completeness: 99%
serial killers by profile completeness

Joseph Paul Franklin has been listed on Killer.Cloud since November of 2016 and was last updated 5 years ago.

Joseph Paul Franklin a known:

Joseph Paul Franklin
Serial Killer Profile:

Updated: 2018-11-06 Collected by Killer.Cloud
General Information
Name: Joseph Paul Franklin
Nickname: The Racist Killer
Victims: 8 - 20
Years Active: 1977 - 1980
Ages Active: 26/27 - 29/30
Active Countries: United States
Convicted Of: murder
Life Span: 1950 - 2013
Characteristics
Gender: Male
Citizenship: United States of America
Sexual Preference: heterosexual
Religious Affiliation: Apostasy in Catholicism
Medical Condition: blindness
Astrological Sign: Aries
Mar 20 - Apr 20
Birth Month: April
Marital Status: married Bobbie Louise Dorman, divorced within four months, Franklin (Age 18), married Anita Carden, Franklin (Age 28)
Children: at least one child, Franklin (Age 29)
Living With: his mother, his wife and the longest as a drifter
Occupation: murderer, journalist
Childhood Information
D.O.B.: Apr 13, 1950
Family Name: Franklin
Given Name: Joseph
Birth Location: Mobile, county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States
Birth Order: 2nd of 4
Siblings: two sisters and one brother. Carolyn, Marilyn and Gordon
Raised By: both parents until (Age 8), mother until adulthood
Birth Category: middle child
Mother: Helen Rau Vaughn
Father: James Clayton Vaughn Sr., an epileptic World War II veteran and butcher, abandoned Joseph (Age 8)

Cognitive Ability
IQ: N/A
Highest School: 10 years of school
Highest Degree: no degree received

Incarceration
Arrested: Oct 28, 1980 (Age 30)
Convicted: Feb 27, 1997 (Age 46)
Sentence: death by lethal injection
Prison Location: Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri, US
Executed: Nov 20, 2013 (Age 63)
Previous Crimes: FALSE
Previous Jail: FALSE
Previous Prison: FALSE

Death Information
Death Date: Nov 20, 2013 (Age 63)
Manner of Death: capital punishment
Cause of Death: executed by lethal injection
Death Location: Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri, US
Killed In Prison: FALSE
Suicide: FALSE
11 Timeline Events of Serial Killer
Joseph Paul Franklin

The 11 dates listed below represent a timeline of the life and crimes of serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin. A complete collection of serial killer events can be found on our Serial Killer Timeline.

Date Event Description
Apr 13 1950Joseph Paul Franklin was born in Mobile, county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States.  #19500413
Apr 13 1970
(Age 20)
20th Birthday
1977
(Age 26/27)
Joseph Paul Franklin started his serial killing spree. #1977
1980
(Age 29/30)
Joseph Paul Franklin ended his serial killing spree. #1980
Apr 13 1980
(Age 30)
30th Birthday
Oct 28 1980
(Age 30)
Joseph Paul Franklin arrested. #19801028
Apr 13 1990
(Age 40)
40th Birthday
Feb 27 1997
(Age 46)
Joseph Paul Franklin was convictedand sentenced to death by lethal injection at Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri, US.  #19970227
Apr 13 2000
(Age 50)
50th Birthday
Apr 13 2010
(Age 60)
60th Birthday
Nov 20 2013
(Age 63)
Joseph Paul Franklinwas executed.cause of death:capital punishment,executed by lethal injectionat Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri, US. #20131120
Back to top Serial Killers Active During

The following serial killers were active during the same time span as Joseph Paul Franklin (1977-1980).

Serial Killers By Active Year


40 / 40
ANSWERED
Serial Killer
Boolean Questions:
Killer
Question
Killer
Answer
Total
Answered
father drug abuse TRUE 192
physically defect TRUE 300
physically abused TRUE 231
psychologically abused TRUE 224
used weapon TRUE 453
used gun TRUE 451
living with children FALSE 268
suicide FALSE 225
killed in prison FALSE 218
mother drug abuse FALSE 195
xyy FALSE 81
problems in school FALSE 221
teased in school FALSE 218
speach defect FALSE 300
head injury FALSE 299
sexually abused FALSE 226
drug abuse FALSE 226
alcohol abuse FALSE 226
psychologist FALSE 258
forensic hospital FALSE 257
previous crimes FALSE 367
previous jail FALSE 352
previous prision FALSE 336
previous killed FALSE 208
kill at killers home FALSE 320
kill at victims home FALSE 323
rape FALSE 453
torture FALSE 426
stalk FALSE 418
blindfold FALSE 363
bound FALSE 406
strangle FALSE 443
sex with body FALSE 430
mutilated FALSE 447
ate part of body FALSE 451
drank blood FALSE 442
posed body FALSE 365
totem body part FALSE 365
totem personal item FALSE 354
robbed FALSE 418


Books that Mention Joseph Paul Franklin

Book: My Dear Mr. Stalin (mentions serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin)
Susan Butler
My Dear Mr. Stalin
Book: Joseph Paul Franklin (mentions serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin)
Jack Rosewood
Joseph Paul Franklin
Book: Dark Soul of the South (mentions serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin)
Mel Ayton
Dark Soul of the South
Book: Political Violence and Terrorism in... (mentions serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin)
Christopher Hewitt
Political Violence and Terrorism in Modern Am...
Book: Crimes of the Centuries [3 volumes] (mentions serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin)
Steven Chermak Ph.D.
Crimes of the Centuries [3 volumes]
Book: Encyclopedia of Murder and Violent... (mentions serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin)
Eric W. Hickey
Encyclopedia of Murder and Violent Crime
Book: Numbers... A Gangsta's Child (mentions serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin)
Steven Jackson
Numbers... A Gangsta's Child
Book: The Great Pictorial History of Worl... (mentions serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin)
Jay Robert Nash
The Great Pictorial History of World Crime

11 Books that mention Serial Killer
Joseph Paul Franklin

ISBN10 Book Title Killers
0300125925 My Dear Mr. Stalin 1
1530593727 Joseph Paul Franklin 1
0692280332 Life Without Mercy 1
1597975745 Dark Soul of the South 1
0313334188 Political Violence and Te... 1
1610695941 Crimes of the Centuries [... 14
076192437x Encyclopedia of Murder an... 10
1491848367 Numbers... A Gangsta's Ch... 1
1461712157 The Great Pictorial Histo... 10
109043586x Serial Killers True Crime... 4
1634507525 Blood in the Soil 1

Joseph Paul Franklin (born James Clayton Vaughn Jr. ; April 13, 1950 – November 20, 2013) was an American white supremacist serial killer who gained notoriety for a murder spree spanning the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Wikipedia
External References
  1. Q1336472 on www.wikidata.org, Retrieved on Nov 2, 2018.
  2. Joseph Paul Franklin on en.wikipedia.org, Retrieved on Nov 2, 2018.
  3. Juan Ignacio Blanco, Joseph Paul FRANKLIN on murderpedia.org, Retrieved on Nov 2, 2018.
  4. White Supremacist Joseph Franklin on www.fbi.gov, Retrieved on Nov 2, 2018.
  5. Joseph Paul Franklin #1355 on www.clarkprosecutor.org, Retrieved on Nov 2, 2018.
  6. Sam Brauer, Ryan A. Bruch, James Clayton Vaughn Jr. on maamodt.asp.radford.edu, Retrieved on Nov 2, 2018.
  7. Joseph Paul Franklin on criminalia.es, Retrieved on May 22, 2019.
  8. Jason Scott, ‘The worst serial killer I ever dealt with’: The confession of Joseph Paul Franklin on www.fox19.com, Retrieved on Mar 10, 2020.
Internal References

Joseph Paul Franklin is included in the following pages on Killer.Cloud the Serial Killer Database

  1. #13 of 651[ Page 1 ] of serial killers sorted by Profile Completeness
  2. #16 of 38[ Page 2 ] of Serial Killers with birthdays in April
  3. #18 of 42[ Page 2 ] of Aries Serial Killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
  4. #103 of 327[ Page 7 ] of Serial Killers active in the United States
  5. #179 of 651[ Page 12 ] of the A-Z List of Serial Killers
  6. #243 of 651[ Page 17 ] of serial killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
  7. #330 of 651[ Page 22 ] of serial killers sorted by Years Active
Statistics:
Serial Killers Statistics, charts Joseph Paul Franklin is included in: Active Serial Killers by Country, Serial Killers By Gender, Age of Serial Killer by Date, Killers By Astrological Sign, Killers By Birth Month, Serial Killers IQ Level, Highest Degree Achieved, Sexual Preference, Birth Category, Mannor of Death, Active Serial Killers by Year and Statistical Boolean Questions.
Years Active: