Man sentenced to 52 years in killing of Gardner woman in Olathe hotel room
An Albuquerque, New Mexico, man was sentenced in Johnson County court Wednesday to nearly 52 years in prison for his role in the 2023 death of a Gardner woman.
Franklin Bluelake pleaded guilty to intentional second-degree murder on June 25 in connection to the 2023 killing of Rhoda Morgan, 53, of Gardner, who was found dead in an Olathe hotel room, according to a Johnson County court document. He will serve approximately 620 months in prison.
On Jan. 29, 2023, Olathe police were dispatched to the Econo Lodge at 20662 W. 151st St. for a welfare check concerning guests who were late to check out of the hotel and would not answer their door.
After attempting to reach the room’s occupants, hotel staff entered and attempted to speak to Morgan, 53, who was lying on the bed. Staff said the woman did not respond.
Arriving officers found Morgan covered by bedsheets. When they pulled the covers back, they noticed Morgan’s skin was discolored, and blood was smeared across her nose, mouth and across the sheets.
Morgan was pronounced dead at the scene. Johnson County medical examiners later determined that Morgan’s neck had been broken and ruled her manner of death a homicide.
A relative of Morgan’s told detectives that she and Bluelake had met on Facebook two years earlier and were in a relationship. Both were from the same area of New Mexico.
The relative told investigators Bluelake would occasionally travel to Olathe and stay in a hotel for a few days. Security footage showed the pair checking into the hotel on Jan. 28.
A friend of Morgan’s told detectives at the time that the woman had recently discovered Bluelake was involved with numerous other women. She had planned to confront Bluelake about it when Bluelake was in town.
Additionally, one of Bluelake’s ex-girlfriend’s told investigators she received a message from Morgan weeks prior saying she should not speak to Bluelake because “he uses women as a place to live and for money,” according to court documents.
Just before 2:30 a.m. Jan. 29, hotel surveillance footage showed Bluelake leaving the parking lot carrying a bag similar to Morgan’s purse before driving south on Interstate 35.
Bluelake’s ex-girlfriend claims she received calls from the man from a different phone number asking her for money just days after the incident. He allegedly told her he had been in a fight with two other men and had been beaten up.
He also allegedly told the woman that he accidentally broke Morgan’s neck during the incident. When the woman attempted to ask him for more details, Bluelake refused to talk about it.
Bluelake was released from federal prison in 2018 after serving eight years of a 10-year sentence for beating a woman with whom he had been romantically involved. In 2009, he was accused of sexually assaulting the same woman and threatening to kill her because her brother “sent” Bluelake to prison.
Previous reporting by The Star’s Bill Lukitsch, Jenna Thompson and Kendrick Calfee contributed.
This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 4:22 PM.
