A New Mexico man pleaded guilty in Johnson County District Court to murdering a Gardner woman at a hotel in 2023.
On Wednesday, Franklin Bluelake, 59, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional murder in the death of Rhoda Morgan. Judge Timothy D. McCarthy is the presiding judge in the case.
Bluelake and Morgan, who were involved in a relationship checked into a room at the now-closed eLODGE hotel, 20662 W. 151st St. in Olathe, on Jan. 28, 2023, according to court documents. Bluelake was later seen on security footage leaving the hotel room in the early morning hours of Jan. 29 and driving away…