Man accused of killing Zachary reserve officer pleads not guilty to charges

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - The man accused of killing a Zachary reserve officer has pleaded not guilty. A motions hearing is now scheduled for September 27.

Albert Franklin allegedly murdered reserve police officer, Christopher Lawton, in March.

Franklin previously withdrew his request for a bond reduction on previous charges, ensuring he will remain in jail. Franklin was already being held without bond for a first degree murder charge in connection with Lawton's death.

Franklin also pleaded not guilty to charges of felon in possession of a firearm and assault with a firearm. He was accused of hitting his girlfriend in the face with a gun, an incident that allegedly happened days before Lawton died.

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According to investigators, Lawton and another officer were trying to arrest Franklin on March 12 when he allegedly ran over Lawton with a U-Haul truck.

Franklin was already out on bond for charges dating back to September and November of 2017. In one of those arrests, a 9News Investigation revealed Judge Trudy White reduced Franklin's bail from $88,000 to $9,000.

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