Ex-Boyfriend Pleads Not Guilty

By Tim State in News on Jan 13, 2008 8:10PM

On the missing/murdered woman radar, Reginald Potts, Jr., the former boyfriend of Nailah Franklin, who has been held without bail since Decemeber when he was charged with Franklin’s death, plead not guilty on Friday. Potts has been charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, vehicular hijacking and robbery. Potts and Franklin dated on and off for several months before Franklin’s death last September.

In the arraignment on Friday, Potts asked to replace the public defender assigned to him, and complained that guards are only letting him out of his cell for one hour in the early morning when he is unable to contact lawyers. He has until January 22 to find representation. Apparently, he’s express several times in court that he would represent himself if he does not find adequate legal council.

A number of facts place Potts and Franklin together and in close proximity on the day she was murdered, from video surveillance tapes in Franklin’s building, to cell phone records, and accounts by friends of Potts who picked him up about a block from where Franklin’s car was later found. If Potts represents himself, this could get very interesting.

Image of Reginald Potts, Jr. via Princess Dominique.