‘They did a lot of dirty stuff’: Frank Gable files $2M+ petition for wrongful murder conviction
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — More than four years after courts found a man was wrongfully convicted of killing an Oregon Corrections director in 1989, he’s now looking for more than $2 million from the state.
On Tuesday, Frank Gable’s attorneys filed a petition with the State of Oregon for compensation after he spent three decades behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit.
It’s been a decades-long fight for justice for Gable, who has since changed his name to Franke Different Cloud. He was originally sentenced to life in prison for the 1989 murder of Oregon Corrections Director Michael Francke, which was later found to be a wrongful conviction.
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“We filed this petition today which would be our first step in getting some justice for him for all the time that was taken and all the horrors he had to endure while incarcerated,” Loevy and Loevy associate attorney Megan Pierce said.
Attorneys with the Chicago-based firm filed a petition to compensate Gable for the years he was behind bars until his release in 2019, as well as the years of supervised release, which ended this May when he was exonerated. They say a $2 million compensation is in line with state law.
“We’ve sought the amount that he’s entitled to under that statute and then the statute provides for some alternative relief that we’ve included in the petition as well,” Pierce said.
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In 2019, federal judges ruled Gable did not receive a fair trial and was likely innocent, a decision the Oregon Department of Justice fought in recent years. That June, Gable spoke briefly with journalists following his release from a Kansas prison.
“We don’t really want to talk about the case,” Gable said back in 2019. “I’m just glad to be out and I’m thankful to the judge for exonerating me and just really looking at the case finally, seeing what really happened with state police and the DA’s office and all. They did a lot of dirty stuff, and it’s just really emotional.”
Frank Gable and his wife Rain in Kansas where they have been living since his release. (Courtesy: Frank Gable) Frank Gable seen in an undated file photo circa 1990 (KOIN, file) frank gable 04182019 tribune_1555634140822.jpg.jpg Frank Gable seen in an undated file photo circa 1990 (KOIN, file) Frank Gable was released from prison on Friday, June 28, 2019. (Fox4 News)
Gable’s attorneys say no dollar amount can make up for the decades lost behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, but they hope the state will make things right as he works to rebuild his life.
“Nothing can make Mr. Gable whole. What was taken from him is time that’s totally invaluable and you certainly can’t put a price tag on the suffering he’s endured. We applaud the State of Oregon for bringing about this statute and passing it,” Pierce said. “It’s a good first step in trying to help Mr. Gable and others like him to adjust back into life in society and to get them set up to live their lives after having 30 years taken away from him where he wasn’t able to build a life like you or I would be able to do.”
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The Marion County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the petition. The Oregon DOJ says they plan to review the petition carefully.
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