A Springfield man who faced criminal charges for allegedly making his way to the floor of the U.S. Senate during the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol has died, court records show.
Roy Franklin, 67, died Oct. 15 of lung cancer, according to a death certificate filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. Franklin’s attorney, Joseph Conte, declined to comment when reached by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Franklin was an apparent companion of Thomas B. Adams Jr. of Springfield, who was sentenced in June to 14 months in prison for his role in the attack on Jan. 6, 2021. Adams carried a “Trump” flag onto the Senate floor during the riot.
Franklin had been set to plead guilty Dec. 15, court records show. However, U.S. District Chief Judge James Boasberg had been notified that Franklin was “extremely ill” and had entered hospice.
When Franklin was arrested in December 2021, investigators said they had identified him in Senate footage from the day of the Capitol riot. They also said an agent overheard Franklin admit he’d participated in the event. Franklin allegedly made the comments to someone else during the search of a home where agents believed Franklin lived.
“I admit I was there, and I am proud of the fact that I was there and stood up for a cause that I believed in,” Franklin allegedly said.
After his arrest, Franklin told the Chicago Sun-Times that he supported former President Donald Trump and that he “got arrested for supporting Trump.”
Franklin was among about 40 Illinois residents charged in connection with the U.S. Capitol riot. The investigation into the attack has led to charges against more than 1,100 people across the country for crimes ranging from misdemeanors to seditious conspiracy.
