ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Blanca Turrubiate Simpson & Mary Frances “Fran Weaver

 

Mary Frances “Fran” Abernathy Weaver grew up in Morganton, North Carolina, and attended Greensboro College in Greensboro, North Carolina, as well as the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where she earned her undergraduate degree in education and her graduate degree in rehabilitative counseling. She has served as a crime victim advocate and a lobbyist for educators in both South Carolina and Georgia. Fran was the lobbyist who successfully led the movement in Georgia for legislation to reward educators, both monetarily and professionally, for achieving National Board Certification.

Fran was also a specialist in curriculum software, serving as the Southeast Regional Director for a national curriculum company located in Chicago. Most recently, Fran worked with CrisisAlert, the nationally recognized and leading company for school safety, located in Atlanta. Now retired, she continues to do consulting work.

Her fascination with high-profile criminal cases at the state and national levels drew her into the true crime phenomenon. Now living in South Carolina and loving the Lowcountry, she was especially interested in the crimes of Alex Murdaugh in Hampton County, South Carolina, having known some of the players in the saga.

Fran lives with her husband on Lake Murray in Chapin, South Carolina, and enjoys spending time with her adult children and their families. Since her retirement, she has enjoyed traveling, entertaining, spending time in Hilton Head, and indulging in her favorite pastime—writing