Torres: Remembering Marshall Frank, detective, author, musician and all-around great guy
There's a Sunday news show I watch where they highlight the life of someone who recently died. They call the segment "A Life Well Lived."
Those were the immediate words that came to me this week when I learned that Marshall Frank passed away on Feb. 23 at the age of 84. I knew him as an author, musician and sometimes-columnist for us at FLORIDA TODAY. But he was so much more than that.
By the time I met Marshall, he had been long retired from his days as a police officer, detective, internal affairs officer, commander and finally captain for the Miami-Dade Police Department.
Born to vaudevillian parents in New York City, Marshall moved to Miami when he was five years old. After graduating high school, he worked various jobs including ballroom dance instructor and symphony violinist before serving a short stint in the United States Marine Corps Reserves. It was at the advice of his stepfather, a Miami gangster and bookmaker, that he embarked on a career in law enforcement.
His law enforcement career started in 1960 when he joined the Dade County Sheriff's Office for a short time before joining Miami-Dade PD. He was shot in 1965, still holding the distinction as the only Miami police officer to be shot by a woman in the line of duty.
Columns by Marshall Frank Thinking of becoming a law enforcement officer? Do it: We need heroes | Opinion
If this retired police captain had a magic wand ... | Opinion
Serving an arrest warrant with his partner, Marshall did not draw his weapon when he saw a child in the apartment. That mistake nearly cost him his life as the woman grabbed a rifle and shot him. Luckily her aim was off and she hit him in the thigh.
In a 2020 column for FLORIDA TODAY, Marshall wrote this:
"Eunice Molter, the woman who shot me, sent me a letter from prison, begging my forgiveness. She served two years. And, yes, I forgave her. Why? Because I could."
Marshall spent most of his career investigating homicides. He lead more than 1,000 homicide investigations and testified in more than 100 murder trials. He was passionately pro-police, but the thing about Marshall was that he was more interested in justice and getting things right than he was in making arrests. In fact, the last arrest of his career was to charge four white Miami-Dade police officers in the beating death of unarmed Black man Arthur McDuffie after a traffic stop.
When the four officers were acquitted by an all-white jury, the infamous Miami riots of 1980 broke out.
That passion for justice continued even as Marshall began the second half of his life here in Brevard County.
More: Columns by Marshall Frank I'm a retired cop. Here's why I ... am a conservative and against the death penalty | Opinion
Bennett case should be reopened 'in the interest of justice'
He followed cases I wrote about closely as well as those featured on my Murder on the Space Coast podcast. He was especially interested when it came to those wrongfully incarcerated like Wilton Dedge and William Dillon. He also believed, as many others do, that Gary Bennett was wrongfully convicted as well. He wrote this in 2019 for FLORIDA TODAY:
"There are many reasons to halt executions. The top of the list is the fear and probability that even one innocent human being may be, or has been, executed. That probability is simply too high. We can look to our own justice system in Florida and find many cases where truly innocent persons were convicted of crimes they did not commit, such as William Dillon and Wilton Dedge, both featured in FLORIDA TODAY's podcast Murder on the Space Coast. There are others whose guilt is very dubious, as with another subject of the podcast, Gary Bennett, now in his 35th year in prison."
Dillon always appreciated Marshall's support and later his friendship.
"His support of me made me feel so good now that a law officer could see my innocence," Dillon said. "(My wife) Ellen and I love Marshall and (his wife) Suzanne. They are beautiful people. May Marshall be blessed and our deepest condolences to his wife for the passing of a great man."
Marshall also built a career as an author, with 17 books to his credit. While many of his titles were crime novels, he also delved into politics and non-fiction, including one title in particular that was very personal for Marshall. He wrote "A Boy who mattered: Examining the roots of drug addiction," about his son Bennett's lifelong struggle with addiction and mental illness that ended in his death.
Marshall was very supportive of other writers. I would email him often asking for advice. He also founded the Creative Arts Foundation of Brevard, providing money and opportunities for musically talented youth in the county.
"Marshall was a long-time friend, prolific writer, and a co-founder of Authors for Authors. He will be missed by many," said local author and psychologist Valerie Allen. "His influence was far and wide."
Did I mention that Marshall was a great violinist as well? He often regaled audiences with a few tunes at one of his book signings or at talks he would give at senior centers. I heard him play once and was too intimidated by his expertise to admit I played piano. Oh yeah, and he played piano too!
There were so many things I admired about Marshall, but perhaps the thing I loved most was he listened to others. You might expect someone with his background and expertise to simply want to be heard. But that wasn't the case for Marshall.
"My Granddad made me feel important," his granddaughter Kristyn Gohlke told me. "He always treated me like what I had to say was interesting. He was fascinating to talk to and could debate and discuss issues even when he did not agree, a quality more people in this society need. Some of his last words to me were how important it is to provide a loving, nurturing environment to raise kids, that it gives them the best start. And I will continue to do that for my son and always think of my Grandad when I do."
Marshall Frank definitely had a life that was "well lived."
In addition to his wife Suzanne, Marshall is survived by his children Lysa Schuller, Russell Frank, Annette Frank, Jennifer Gillette and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Kristyn wrote on Facebook that Marshall died just before 5 p.m. or just in time for "happy hour on the other side." He would have loved that.
I have no doubt that in Marshall's heaven, he is not only a violin-playing detective, but one in a gritty noirish crime novel where innocent people are not wrongfully incarcerated.
Contact Torres at jtorres@floridatoday.com. You can follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @johnalbertorres.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: "Happy Hour on the other side:" Remembering retired cop Marshall Frank
