Monday, February 9, 2015

September 2009 - Declaration Regarding Jonathan Scott Franklin


Declaration Regarding Jonathan Scott Franklin
Melinda Pillsbury-Foster

I, Melinda Pillsbury-Foster, declare under penalty of perjury the following account to be a true and accurate recording of my recollections of Jonathan Scott Franklin, my step-son, the natural son of my then husband, Alan Craig Franklin (aka) Craig Franklin and his previous wife, Elaine Brown.

I saw Jonathan Scott Franklin only rarely before he came to live with us in 1988. I was aware he was a victim of diabetes, which nearly killed him around 1979 - 1980. My early experiences with him caused me concern for other reasons.

I observed violent and inappropriate behavior in Scott on numerous occasions.

Scott visited Craig's parents, then living in West Los Angeles, and us during the summer of 1987. Craig's father, now deceased, was Dr. Carl Franklin of University of Southern California.

My mother was stricken with cancer in June of that year. Her condition was critical. She was taken to Stanford to undergo treatments under the care of my sister-in-law, Dr. Susan Knox. Unfortunately, her condition proved to be inoperable. She returned home to die. It was an emotionally wrenching time for all concerned and I now think I overlooked Scott's behavior far to often.

To spend time with my mother I took the children and went to the family cabin, located a few miles from the home to which my parents had retired in Springville, CA in 1972. Father's career was with the University of California and at the time of his retirement he was Director of the Water Resources Center for the University System for California. His name was Dr. Arthur F. Pillsbury.

Our family was then comprised of my daughters, Dawn Ellen and Ayn Suzanne, ages 13 and 12 and my sons, Arthur Edward and Justin Craig, ages 9 and 4. Scott was then 15. Morgan, my oldest daughter, had been legally adopted by my parents when she was 12 and so not with us. She was then living in Santa Barbara with my sister, Anne Gripp, and going to school.

Every other day I would drive to Springville to see my mother, leaving the children to enjoy the cabin for a few hours. I was unable to do this after an incident that raised serious questions in my mind about Scott's sexual morals and Craig's judgment.

On the day I remained at the cabin I heard a conversation between Scott and my daughters, who were upstairs in the cabin. The walls were thin and every word was clear. Scott relayed to the girls his first sexual experience, a gang rape. Shocked, I confronted him and called Craig, who was then at work, as I remember.

Verbally, Craig agreed that Scott's behavior was highly abnormal and action should be taken. However, he refused to chastise Scott, sending him back to his mother without reprimand and without any attempt to ensure any action would be taken. It was disturbing to observe that neither Scott or Craig seemed to feel any concern for the girl who had been sexually violated.

A few months later Scott ran away from home after, I was told by Craig, having struck his mother. Reluctantly, I conceded to Craig's demands he be allowed to live with us.

Scott lived with us until July of 1989. His behavior was often inappropriate and violent, causing me grave concern. On one occasion during this period Craig brought up the subject of children having sex. I told him flatly this was always inappropriate, no exceptions. He dropped the subject and I did not identify this as an opening argument directed at my daughters, though later I realized this was exactly his intention.

I became aware that Craig read pornography when Dawn, then around 13, evidently unearthed his supply and took some of these to school with her to loan to friends. I received a call from the principal asking she meet with myself and Craig for a conference. At the conference the principal brought out the magazines and expressed concern for the health of our marriage. This was a surprise to me.

Later, Dawn told me when she was identified as the source of the magazines she told the principal she was concerned about our marriage. She was the only student involved who was female. She was not suspended for possessing the material, as were the male students. Craig refused to discuss the matter with me.

A few months later another incident took place that caused me grave concern.

One evening I went to the store alone. Arriving there I realized I had left my check book at home and returned home to find the house very quiet. Walking through the rooms I discovered the entire family gathered in the back room. Craig was there with the kids and when I walked in he glared at me. I asked what was being discussed and Craig demanded I leave. I refused.

Craig then battered me into unconsciousness. The three boys present, Scott, Arthur, and Justin, called the police who cuffed Craig and placed him in the police car.

When I regained consciousness I was on my bed with a compress on my head. I was confused, disoriented and nauseated. I did not remember what had just happened. I asked for Craig and the police released him. Over the next month the memories of the incident began to return. Craig apologized for his behavior but never explained why he wanted to talk to the kids alone.

Over the time Scott lived with us he abused my other children and the family's pets. All of the children were afraid of him. He threw Dawn's cat in the pool while the children were playing. Dawn was badly scratched. Scott did not seem to have any idea what constituted appropriate behavior. I believe Craig was substantially responsible for what I saw evidenced in Scott. Attempts to communicate these concerns to Craig and his family failed utterly. I saw no concern in any of Craig's siblings or in his father. Craig's mother died in 1991.

Talking to Scott I was often concerned about his private conversations with Craig. Scott's behavior seemed to be impacted when these exchanges took place. Craig refused to discuss these with me. I was bewildered and did not know what to think.

Craig and I had been married privately in 1987. In June of 1989 we had a larger wedding celebration to please Craig. Craig had also wanted a honeymoon. I had planned an itinerary and arranged for an adult to remain with the children in our absence.

While we were away on our honeymoon we received a call at our hotel in Venice, Italy demanding we return home because Scott had attempted to strangle my oldest daughter, Morgan. Scott was unrepentant, according to those present. Dawn stopped the assault using a martial arts technique she had learned.

Scott ran away again, this time back east. His grandfather, Dr. Franklin, and his uncle, Sterling Franklin, both attorneys, refused to take his assault on Morgan seriously and wanted him to remain with us. I refused.

Scott went to live with Craig's sister, Priscilla Franklin, in Pasadena. From there he graduated high school and went on to college. I heard from Craig about problems he was having but have no direct knowledge of what was happening.

Prior to the wedding Craig had made out a last will and testament, naming all of our children as his natural heirs. This had been his wish. My former husband, their biological father, had agreed and signed a document giving up his parental rights. (See will, giving up rights.)

Around 1995 Scott and I started talking again. His behavior seemed to have stabilized and he was going to college. Over a two years period I began to trust him and helped him with a non-profit he was starting while at the same time clearing up the problems caused by Craig's non-filing of his taxes. Craig had never filed before although his becoming and remaining compliant had been a condition of our marriage.

In 1997 I suffered my second heart attack and was busy caring for my oldest son, Arthur, then 19. Arthur had suffered a major brain injury in September of 1997 and nearly died. Craig was apparently angry I was spending my time at the hospital. After leaving, Craig shamelessly manipulated Arthur in attempts to get him to leave my care and so lower the support I would potentially receive. As a result Arthur shot himself through the brain. He did not die. I remain his caretaker today and have received no assistance from Craig, or Ron Foster, Arthur's biological father.

By 1998 I had solved the problems with Craig's taxes. We were completely out of debt and solvent for the first time.

In 1997 Scott became engaged and I met his fiancée, now his wife, Kathy. I offered to make the dresses for the bride's maids and Kathy accepted, gratefully. After Craig left me in January of 1998 Scott claimed Craig was not helping him because he, Scott, did not approve of the divorce. Scott continually called me asking for financial help during this period. I learned this was not true. Scott was simply trying to deplete my funds so I would be forced to settle.

I was also told later by Morgan that they believed they could cause me to have a heart attack since I had suffered two attacks previously. Scott was aware Craig had decided to leave me sometime in December and was accepting money to report to Craig on what I said and insert disinformation with me, according to Morgan.

I discovered after Craig left that he had been exposing himself to my daughters for years. Ayn mentioned this and so did Morgan. Craig attempted to seduce both by their reports. I was shocked and disgusted.

In 2004 a private investigator found incest pornography in Craig's trash while trying to discover his address for service of papers. The name of the investigator is Steve Rauch. His last phone number in my records was 805 967-5780, email pryveteye@aol.com. I still have the scans of the front and index of the magazine and can supply those and other items which were in the same bag.

While we were married Craig told me his first sexual arousal was with his sister, Priscilla, when she was 12. He was then 16.

Over the years I knew and observed Scott I noticed his ability to justify doing whatever he wanted. In this he is much like Craig. While Scott is responsible for his own decisions I appreciate the difficulties he faced in having Craig for a father, especially with Craig's family of origin.

While Craig and I were still married, around 1994 – 1995, his brother Larry, an attorney married and living in Hong Kong, had a confrontation with their sister Priscilla over the sexual abuse she claimed to have suffered at his hands when they shared a room together as children. I overheard these conversations. While I can express no positive knowledge of what happened I believed Priscilla because her description of Larry's attempts to destroy her credibility with their parents are typical of abusers.

Around 2003 I began to receive emails from a woman who identified herself as a friend of Craig's. Those emails are included “Molasses Crinkle” sent her cell phone number but I have never talked to her. We did exchange emails.

I was struck by the behaviors exhibited by Scott because there are so many parallels with Craig's behavior and that of his brothers and father. All the men I met in Craig's family are extremely controlling and manipulative. All chose to ignore abusive behavior, such as that exhibited by Scott when he was young. All expressed a sense that they were privileged and not to be held to the standards usual for civil society.

I include contact information for each of the children who were over around 6 then below so you can independently interview them.

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