In this file photo taken Monday, Oct. 19, 1998, Joseph Paul Franklin sits in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.ALSO READ
Confessions of a Chattanooga serial killer
In an hour-long phone interview with the Times Free Press from the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Mo., where he sits on death row for shooting a man dead outside a St. Louis synagogue in 1977, racist serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin said he is remorseful for the people he had killed.
He talked about his childhood, how his upbringing influenced his decisions, and why he targeted Chattanooga, where he bombed a synagogue in 1977 and killed a man exactly one year later. He also talked about life after death, and what he believes will happen to him. The interview has been edited for concision and to remove contact information about Franklin’s family members.
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Q: It’s Nov. 13 right now. As of now, you are slated to be put to death on Nov. 20. Just to start, this might be one of your last opportunities to say something that could reach your victims and the families of your victims. What would you like to say to them?