Posted Dec. 11, 2007 - The boyfriend of a Nailah Franklin, the 28-year-old Chicago woman who was slain in late September and dumped behind a vacant building, is being charged with her murder.
Chicago Police said Monday that a high-tech analysis of phone records revealed that Reginald Potts, 31, was in the same vicinity as the Franklin when she died.
WATCH THE VIDEO
He had told police that he was no where near her on Sept. 28, when his former girlfriend, a pharmaceutical company rep, disappeared.
"Today, a family is relieved; a community is at peace; and a murderer is behind bars," Interim Police Supt. Dana Starks said at a news conference at Chicago Police headquarters.
Franklin’s disappearance sparked a massive search through the Greater Chicago area.
Potts denies any involvement in her death. "I may talk a lot of s**t – pardon my language – but me putting my hands on somebody isn't really happening," Potts told The Chicago Sun-Times in October.
"It's believed he acted alone," Area 4 Police Cmdr. Steve Petersen said.
In a news conference Monday, the family praised police and called for justice.
"We feel her every day spiritually and that keeps us going," said her mother, Maria Maner, who spoke at the news conference via speakerphone from her home in North Carolina.
Shortly before disappearing, Franklin called police to say that she was being threatened by Potts. Police suggested that she seek an order of protection against him.
She was doing just that when she was slain, police said.
See the video for a glimpse into Potts' criminal past.