GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A man who killed two of his relatives was convicted of their murders Tuesday, but a trial on whether he suffered from a mental disease at the time will go on.
Oscar Lemus-Franco, 32, pleaded no contest to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide for the Sept. 28, 2020, incident at a residence on Clement Street. Gerson Alvarez-Franco and Jaime Lemus, both relatives of Lemus-Franco, were shot and killed. He also was convicted of reckless injury for attacking a police officer after his arrest.
Lemus-Franco has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Tuesday’s plea means a jury will not be asked to determine if he’s guilty of the crimes. However, the jury still must determine if he should be held criminally liable for his actions. If so, he would be sentenced to prison, with mandatory life prison terms for the homicide counts. If not, he would be committed to a secure mental health facility.
That trial is scheduled to start May 1.
The trial has been delayed repeatedly by competency issues, as Lemus-Franco was receiving psychiatric treatment in order to be able understand the court proceedings and assist in his own defense.
