Franklin Bradshaw was a

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

industrialist who was murdered on July 23, 1978 by his grandson, Marc Schreuder, at the instigation of his daughter, Frances Berenice Schreuder. The case inspired widespread coverage, including two books and two television movies. Prosecutors alleged that Frances Schreuder did not want to be cut out of her father's will and wished to continue funding her lavish lifestyle.

The killing

Heiress Frances Berenice Schreuder (born on April 6, 1938, in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

, and died on March 30, 2004) pressured her 17 year old son Marc Schreuder to murder her father, oil and auto parts millionaire Franklin Bradshaw. The murder was committed on July 23, 1978, when Marc Schreuder shot his grandfather in the back of the head. Once Marc Schreuder's link to the crime was discovered, it was alleged that Frances Schreuder manipulated him through an unhealthy and abusive form of "triangulation", using him to target and murder her father. One of the wrinkles of the case was that Frances Schreuder's mother Berenice Schreuder continued to support her daughter throughout the case and bequeathed to Frances a share of her estate. Marc Schreuder was convicted of second-degree murder in 1982 and spent 12 years in the Utah State Prison. Frances Schreuder was convicted of first-degree murder in 1983 and spent 13 years in prison.

Books

The case has inspired at least two nonfiction books: ''At Mother's Request: A True Story of Money, Murder and Betrayal'' by Jonathan Coleman and ''Nutcracker: Money, Madness, Murder: A Family Album'' by

Shana Alexander Shana Alexander (October 6, 1925 – June 23, 2005) was an American journalist. Although she became the first woman staff writer and columnist for ''Life'' magazine, she was best known for her participation in the "Point-Counterpoint" debate seg ...

. The author and publisher of the second book was sued for libel by Schreuder's psychiatrist. The case went to the New York Court of Appeals and set legal precedent.''Weiner v. Doubleday & Co.'', 549 N.E.2d 453 (N.Y. 1989).

Television

Alexander's book was the basis for the 1987 miniseries '' Nutcracker: Money, Madness and Murder'', starring

Lee Remick Lee Ann Remick (December 14, 1935 – July 2, 1991) was an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film '' Days of Wine and Roses'' (1962), and for the 1966 Tony Award for Best Actress in ...

as Frances Schreuder and

Tate Donovan Tate Buckley Donovan (born September 25, 1963) is an American actor, comedian and television director. He is known for portraying Tom Shayes in ''Damages'', Jimmy Cooper in '' The O.C.'', and the voice of the title character in the 1997 Disney ...

as Marc Schreuder. Coleman's book was the basis for the 1987 television movie ''

At Mother's Request ''At Mother's Request'' is a 1987 two-part television miniseries based on a true story (the Franklin Bradshaw murder). The movie stars E.G. Marshall and Stefanie Powers. Plot summary Frances Schreuder is a mother who is mean to her sons and some ...

'', starring Stefanie Powers as Frances Schreuder and Doug McKeon as Marc Schreuder. On February 25, 2004, the case was discussed by

Dominick Dunne Dominick John Dunne (October 29, 1925 – August 26, 2009) was an American writer, investigative journalist, and producer. He began his career in film and television as a producer of the pioneering gay film '' The Boys in the Band'' (1970) and ...

in the episode "Family Secrets" (season 4, episode 5) of the true-crime series ''

Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice ''Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice'' is an American crime TV series that examined real-life cases of crime, passion, and greed involving privileged or famous people. The episodes were shown on truTV (formerly Court TV) and on Star ...

''. On March 18, 2005, the case was featured on ''

My Dirty Little Secret My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon Business * Market ...

'' on the

Investigation Discovery Investigation Discovery (stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008) is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. As of February 2015, approximately 86 million Amer ...

Channel. The case was featured on the documentary television series ''Behind Mansion Walls'' (season 3, episode 4, titled "Flesh And Blood") The April 7, 2018 episode "Mother's Little Helper" (Season 5, episode 8), of the

series ''

A Crime to Remember ''A Crime to Remember'' is an American documentary television series that airs on Investigation Discovery and premiered on November 12, 2013. It tells the stories of notorious crimes that captivated attention of the media and the public when t ...

'' focused on the case.

References

Notes Sources
"Woman's Death Means Husband's Killer Finally Will Inherit Estate"
Mike Carter, '' The LA Times'', June 9, 1996.
"Frances Schreuder, 65, Manhattan Socialite Who Was Convicted in Murder Case, Is Dead"
Douglas Martin, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', April 1, 2004.
"Son Will Attend Schreuder Funeral"
Dennis Romboy, '' Deseret News'', April 2, 2004.

The killing

Books

Television

References

Further reading