Blue on Blue: Murder, Madness and Betrayal in the NOPD
A Twisted Duo
After LaCaze got out of the hospital, he started getting regular visits from Officer Frank. She took him shopping for new clothes. She got him a pager and a cell phone. She even rented him a Cadillac.
Frank became obsessed with him, LaCaze says.
She started driving him around in her police car. She even answered calls with LaCaze and introduced him as her trainee. Two officers from the 7th District once saw LaCaze driving Franks patrol car. Then, the two of them started hatching a plan to rob the Kim Anh restaurant.
Frank had been splitting the security detail at the family-owned Vietnamese restaurant with Officer Ronnie Williams for months. During that time, the Vu family, who owned the restaurant, grew close to Frank and Williams. They treated Frank almost like a member of the family.
The Vus took a real liking to her, Franks ex-partner says. I mean they were in love with this girl. They bought her presents for this, presents for that. Anything she wanted, anything she needed, they gave her.
Frank knew the Vus distrusted banks. She also knew they kept all their money in cash.
During the weeks leading up to the robbery, Frank acquired a 9mm pistol from the NOPD evidence room. Two weeks before the murders, she reported the gun stolen.
LaCaze was with Frank when a police officer arrived at her house to take the report about the stolen gun. LaCaze later told detectives that the report was bogus. The pistol hadnt been stolen.
Just hours before they robbed the Kim Anh and murdered three people, Frank and LaCaze stopped at Wal-Mart to buy a box of 9mm bullets. Frank was on the clock, wearing her police uniform and driving a patrol car.