Bio

Frank Middleton Jr. was born in 1963. Before the 1984 murders, Middleton was already in prison. He was serving a six-year sentence for stabbing a 13-year-old boy. On June 8, 1984, Middleton escaped from a prison work crew near Goose Creek, South Carolina. After escaping, he committed a short series of violent crimes in the Charleston area.

During that time, he was accused of raping and murdering two women on separate days. He was also accused of trying to rob a grocery store and assaulting two employees.

Murder Story

On June 8, 1984, Frank Middleton Jr. escaped from a prison work crew near Goose Creek, South Carolina. He was serving a six-year sentence for stabbing a 13-year-old boy. After escaping, Middleton committed two murders in the Charleston area. The first victim was Janell Garner, who was raped and murdered on June 9, 1984. Middleton later received a life sentence for her murder.

The second victim was Shirley Mae Mack, a 49-year-old woman. She was attacked on June 10, 1984, while walking home from work. Middleton raped, robbed, and killed her. Her body was later burned. Both victims died from asphyxia caused by suffocation. In Mack’s case, Middleton was charged with murder, first-degree criminal sexual conduct, and armed robbery.

On June 11, 1984, Middleton was also accused of trying to rob Hiott Grocery Store and assaulting two employees. Prosecutors first tried all of the cases together. On February 4, 1985, Middleton was convicted and sentenced to death. In 1986, the South Carolina Supreme Court reversed the first conviction and ordered new trials. The court ruled that the cases should not have been tried together.

Middleton was later retried for the murder of Shirley Mae Mack. On November 24, 1986, he was convicted of murder, first-degree criminal sexual conduct, and armed robbery. He was sentenced to death for Mack’s murder. Middleton appealed his conviction and sentence for several years. His appeals were denied, and the death sentence remained in place.

On November 22, 1996, Frank Middleton Jr. was executed by lethal injection in South Carolina. He was 33 years old.