LANCASTER, Pa. — A Lancaster man was convicted earlier this month of strangling and threatening a victim in a July 2023 incident in the city, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Franklin Gillis Jr., 36, of the 300 block of East King St., was found guilty of strangulation, terroristic threats, and simple assault on June 7, following a two-day trial before Lancaster County Judge Thomas Sponaugle.
The jury convicted him after three hours of deliberation, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office.
GIllis was arrested on July 31, 2023 after two Lancaster Police officers were dispatched to the 700 block of Third Street for the report of a domestic incident not in progress at about 1 a.m. The victim reported she had been involved in a domestic dispute with Gillis that turned physical, and accused him of striking her in the face with a closed fist, grabbing her hair so hard that a braid came out of her head, and dragging her across the living room floor by her throat.
Among the evidence presented at trial by Assistant District Attorney Jaimes Spring was a 911 dispatch call that captured about 10 minutes of the incident. During the call, Gillis can be heard making numerous threats toward the victim, including his intention to punch the victim in the face and mouth, bite the victim and make the victim "as bald as (he) was."
The victim suffered numerous injuries in the attack, including a black eye, injuries to her neck, knots on the forehead and braids ripped from her scalp, prosecutors said at trial.
Gillis took the stand in his own defense and claimed that he never threatened the victim, according to prosecutors.
Following his conviction, Sponaugle raised Gillis' bail to $200,000, since Gillis is also awaiting trail on DUI and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance charges in a separate incident.
Gillis will be sentenced at a later date.
