Investigation Discovery has unveiled a new true-crime docuseries, The Tech Bro Murders. The show is going to chronicle the deaths of some tech executives, including people who worked for companies like Google.
The six-part series delves into a new case in every episode, bringing to light a gruesome story of murder. The first episode revolves around the brutal killing of Menlo Park at the hands of Francis Wolke.
Since he is the first subject of The Tech Bro Murders, people are wondering who Francis Wolke is, what his motive was for killing Menlo, and where he is now.
Here is all you need to know about the convicted murderer and his whereabouts.
The Tech Bro Murders: Who is Francis Wolke?
Francis Wolke is a man from Cincinnati, Ohio, who once dreamed of succeeding in Silicon Valley. He was the oldest of eight children in his family, and spent most of his childhood being homeschooled.
He then attended the University of Cincinnati, but was unable to graduate, so he moved to California in 2015, where he hoped to build a career in technology. However, his life started to fall apart. He could not hold a steady job and was often labeled as arrogant, stubborn, and weird.
For some time, he stayed with someone he met at a cryptocurrency event, but they soon asked him to leave because of his behavior. He eventually became homeless and later returned to Ohio before heading back to California.
On December 12, 2018, Wolke broke into the Menlo Park home of 62-year-old Kathleen Anderson, a respected arborist in Atherton. Police found her brutally murdered in her basement. She had been stabbed with a pen in her eye and nearly decapitated with a saw.
As seen on The Tech Bro Murders, Wolke admitted to killing her and told investigators he believed he needed to do it to become part of the elite and stay young forever. He also made shocking claims about how voices in his head convinced him to try ritual murder and cannibalism.
The Tech Bro Murders: Where is Francis Wolke now?
Francis Wolke is currently locked up in a prison in California. After his arrest, he said he was not guilty because he was insane. He told doctors that voices in his head made him believe that the world’s wealthiest people stayed powerful by killing others and eating human flesh. His lawyer argued that he was experiencing a psychotic episode and could not understand that what he did was wrong.
The jury, however, did not agree. They decided Wolke knew what he was doing, even if he had bizarre beliefs. Experts explained that he stayed inside Kathleen Anderson’s house for hours after the killing, which showed he was not completely detached from reality. In March 2023, Wolke was found guilty of first-degree murder and using deadly weapons in the crime.
On May 4, 2023, he was sentenced to 26 years to life in prison, the harshest punishment allowed under California law. Since Wolke had already spent years in jail after his 2018 arrest, he received credit for that time.
Today, Wolke is in a California state prison. He cannot request parole until he has served at least 26 years, which means the earliest chance for his release would be sometime in the 2040s.
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