Wausau Man Facing Charge of Homicide by Delivery of Drugs Scheduled for Trial in February

Tuesday, October 1st, 2024 -- 1:00 PM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) A Wausau man accused of providing a fatal dose of drugs during a party in 2020 will be tried early next year.

According to Mike Leischner with wSAU, court records show Otha Franklin will face a week-long trial for homicide by delivery of drugs from February 3rd through the 7th, 2024. He also faces counts of manufacturing heroin and designer drugs along with felony bail jumping.

Investigators say Franklin was snorting pills with the victim at a house party in July 2020. The victim started having a seizure, and a third person suggested they call for help. Franklin advised against that. The victim died the next morning.

Autopsy results showed the victim died from a toxic mix of drugs. Franklin, known in some circles as Peter Franklin or Corky, is also the subject of multiple other open cases involving possession of cocaine, obstructing an officer, possession of a stolen firearm, and burglary.

Those cases are scheduled for review during the homicide trial. Officers long suspected he had a role in the death but he remained at large for more than three years. They finally caught up to him in Milwaukee County last spring.

The 46-year-old will return to court on December 18th. A jury status hearing is scheduled for mid-January. He faces up to 40 years in prison if found guilty on the homicide count alone.

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