Charlotte man learns there is a bad time for an apology — and it sent him to prison

There’s never a bad time for an apology. Unless you’re Rashawn Franks.

In June 2018, the 29-year-old convicted felon from Charlotte lost his temper when someone slightly blocked his car at a convenience store.

According to the Mecklenburg District Attorney’s Office, surveillance cameras caught Franks’ car driving off as bullets began to fly out of the passenger’s side window toward the other driver and the store.

Four people — including the other driver — were wounded.

Franks initially pleaded not guilty to a series of charges, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and discharging a weapon into occupied property.

In December, his case came to trial. The other driver, who by this time was also in custody, testified about the shooting.

After Superior Court Judge George Bell ended court for the day, both the accused and the accuser went back to the Mecklenburg County Jail for the night.

At some point during the recess, Franks apologized to the other driver for what had happened, said Assistant District Attorney Reed Hunt, head of the violent crime team for the DA’s office.

In the spirit of “no good deed going unpunished,” someone overheard Franks saying he was sorry. That, according to Hunt, amounted to a confession.

The next day, according to Hunt, Franks’ prosecutor notified Franks’ defense attorney of his client’s mea culpa, and that the state would now ask the victim to repeat to the jury what Franks had said.

Two hours of negotiations later and confronted with the legal implications of his confession, Franks pleaded guilty to all charges.

Bell then sentenced him to up to 20 years in prison, a longer sentence than what prosecutors initially offered — and Franks rejected — before the trial, Hunt said.