1 father, 2 sons, 3 deadly cases: Convicted killer’s sons charged in mall shooting and Bloomingdale murder
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The two sons of a convicted killer in Chatham County are now being accused in two other deaths this year, one of them happening just two weeks ago.
That most recent case is a murder in Bloomingdale that claimed the life of a 17-year-old Antonio “TJ” Thornton Jr., who was visiting family in the area.
A 16-year-old Savannah teen arrested for that murder has a familiar name to some: Franklin Leonard James Jr.
Through multiple court records, it has been confirmed that this 16-year-old murder suspect, is the brother of one of the Oglethorpe Mall shooting suspects. The two teens share the exact same name and the same father.
16-year-old Franklin James Jr is 8 months younger than his brother, the mall shooting suspect, also names Franklin James Jr, who is 17.
The teens have different mothers, but the same father, and are both a Junior.
The two are also mentioned together in a past police report involving a stolen gun, in April of this year. The boys were not arrested. This police report reveals their cousin alleged that one of them stole his 9mm, or their female friend with them did.
The family refers to the 16-year-old as Frank and the 17-year-old as King, and so do some Savannah Police reports.
Their father is 46-year-old Franklin Leonard James Sr. Chatham County Jail records show he is a member of the CVB/CBG gang, also known as the Cuyler/Brownsville gang, which grew up in the area in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Court records show James Sr. served time in state prison after a 2011 chase with police that eventually led to a crash and the death of a newborn baby.
He was convicted in 2013 on a multitude of charges. Our previous coverage reveals, he hit an elderly man on a motorcycle and then drove off-- hitting a car carrying five people next.
One of the passengers, a woman seven months pregnant, required an emergency C-section, and her baby girl died roughly two days later.
Our previous coverage reveals, “On May 7, 2011 a Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police patrol noticed a rented Toyota Camry with dark tinted windows circling the area of 37thand Jefferson Streets, an area known for high levels of drug activity. The police followed the vehicle through Liberty City to Highway 17 and Chatham Parkway, on to the Southside of Savannah near the Savannah mall."
Quantities of marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy were found in the Camry after the accident. You can find more of WTOC’s previous coverage on Frank Sr. and that crash here.
We sat down with the Savannah woman who lost her baby tragically... You can hear from here:
www.wtoc.com/story/14638111/mother-forgives-suspects-after-babys-death/
James Sr. served roughly 11 years in prison for this baby girl’s death and the entire pursuit. He was released in May 2024.
Since leaving prison, James Sr. has faced multiple arrests, according to jail records:
- October 2024: Arrested by the Savannah Board of Education Police for disrupting school, battery-family violence, and violating probation.
- May 2025: Arrested by Georgia State Patrol in Savannah for fleeing officers, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, theft by receiving stolen property, and six driving violations.
- June 2025: Arrested by Savannah Police, indicted months later for trafficking cocaine and ecstasy, criminal damage to property, marijuana possession, and possession of a stolen gun from Statesboro. Police say he trashed his child’s mother’s home, causing substantial damage, some of which was caught on camera. His next hearing in this case is scheduled for February.
He has not been released from jail since that arrest.
Eighteen days after the father’s arrest in June, the Oglethorpe Mall shooting happened.
Savannah Police say his 17-year-old son, Franklin James Jr., is one of the alleged shooters. Five other young men are also charged in that case.
His 17-year-old son turned himself in a few weeks after the shooting, on July 31st.
He is now part of a 71-count indictment, which includes allegations of responsibility for a woman’s death, Tina Smith.
Attorneys argue that the case is an armed robbery gone wrong, but the indictment in this case includes multiple gang-related charges.
This 17-year-old son was denied bond two weeks ago and is due back in court in February with his five co-defendants.
Then fast forward to just two weeks ago, Antonio ‘TJ’ Thornton Jr. was shot and killed in Bloomingdale while visiting family.
Nearly two weeks later, Franklin James Sr.’s 16-year-old son, Franklin James Jr., was arrested by the GBI and charged with TJ’s murder. Coverage here.
We sat down with TJ’s family as they grieve the loss of their loved one, who was set to graduate soon before heading off to college to study engineering.
16-year-old James Jr. is being held at the youth detention center, so a mug shot is not available for him.
Alongside Franklin James Jr, a 17-year-old from Pooler, is also charged in TJ’s death, Terrance Green.
Green is being held at the Chatham County Jail on charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, and armed robbery.
At this time, the 17-year-old brother, Franklin James Jr. remains in the Chatham County Jail in connection with the mall shooting. Their father also remains in that same jail following his June arrest.
Both sons now have separate murder cases moving through the court system.
These cases continue to be followed, and updates will be provided as they become available.
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