Fransson jurors see interrogation regarding murder cover up
Posted by findleisa on July 28, 2010
BARSTOW • Jurors heard testimony from Joyce Fransson’s father and saw a lengthy interrogation tape in the second day of Fransson’s trial on accessory to murder charges.Fransson, 24, is charged with five counts of being an accessory to murder after the fact and one count of unlawful taking or taking or driving of a vehicle in assisting Jeami Chiapulis cover up the 2009 murder of Leisa Hurst, Chiapulis’ other girlfriend.
Chiapulis pleaded guilty to the second degree murder of Hurst in November of 2009 in a deal to avoid a trial and first degree murder conviction.
Barstow Police detective Keith Libby was first to testify on Tuesday. Libby said that he went to Chiapulis’ house in Silver Lakes on Jan. 22, 2009, to interview him after speaking with Hurst’s family and learning that Hurst had a relationship with Chiapulis.
Libby said that he thought Chiapulis may be involved in Hurst’s disappearance because he changed his story numerous times, first saying that he only had a friendship with Hurst, then saying that they had a sexual relationship when he was interviewed again in Barstow. Libby also said that Chiapulis consistently referred to Hurst in the past tense during interviews.
When confronted with questions about a receipt from the Home Depot that listed a large garbage can, Libby said that Chiapulis claimed the can was for clothing he was going to donate to a local thrift store, but the can was never found there.
Libby said police were led to Fransson when Chiapulis said that a condom found by police in a garbage can at his home was from an encounter with her.
When police contacted Fransson, she said that Chiapulis did buy a barrel and shovel at the Home Depot but that she did not know Hurst.
Fransson’s father, Roy Marquez, was next to take the witness stand. Marquez said that he owned property north of the former Lake Delores water park in Newberry Springs — where Hurst’s body was found.
Marquez also said that his sister-in-law lived on the same street where Hurst’s Honda Element was found with the windows down and the key in the ignition.
The final portion or Tuesday’s proceedings consisted of over two hours of video footage of Barstow Police Detectives Leo Griego and Keith Libby, questioning Fransson.
In the footage, Libby continuously questions Fransson about any knowledge she has about Hurst’s vehicle, and why it was parked near her aunt’s house in Hesperia. After an hour of questioning, Fransson said she did help Chiapulis abandon the car because she thought the area near her aunt’s house was high in crime and the car would be stolen.
Fransson said Chiapulis told her that he was helping a friend dump the vehicle because the friend was behind on his payments.
Libby and Griego continued to question Fransson in the tape and tell her that large amounts of evidence prove she knows more than she is telling them until the tape had to be turned off when court ended for the day at 4:30 p.m.
Fransson’s trial is set to continue on Thursday at 10 a.m.
Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4126 or adome@desertdispatch.com
Leisa Hurst's Blog 
jaimie said
I am a former girlfriend of Jeami R Chiapulis. I also am the mother of his 16 yr old son. Whom no one,as far as I know, knows he has. I have talked & conferred with many people involving this case & I feel the need to say this: Jeami Chiapulis,when i knew him, was a very convincing person. He could make you believe the color red was grey. Very charming was he & intelligence was not scarce! but to get to the point of why i am posting on this specific page is as follows…the story he told Joyce about needing to get rid of a friends car due to the friend not being able to make payments(insurance fraud) is an all to familiar story!! when i was 16 yrs old Jeami told me the same story! He showed up at a house i was baby sitting at & asked me if i could find somewhere to dispose of his friends car as if someone had stolen it. Joyce may have been the victim of Jeami’s most recent shindigs as well as me way back when. but please dont make the mistake of thinking she is completely innocent! i am no attorney or detective…but I am appalled at the fact that she held the where abouts of the victims body for so long!! Especially knowing the fact that the victim had two young children. I dont understand why she did what she did but I do know that Jeami R Chiapulis preyed on women who are vulnerable & felt they were alone. Even as far as volunteering at a breast cancer awareness rally & taking names & numbers off a list to call women!! I couldnt believe it when i heard it but yes it is true! as far as Joyce: I say this to you girl…I am sorry you fell for his charm! but i am more sorry that even after the fact you could not distinguish right from wrong! or even have the decency to bring Leisa’s daughters their mother home!!! It is a crying shame you ruined your own young life to shield a MURDERER like Jeami Chiapulis!!!! May god have mercy on your soul. As for Joyces family…I am sorry.I am sorry you have to live with the fact your daughter helped in such a hay nus crime. I wish you peace in knowing that this is almost put to rest now because i know Leisa’s family will never know what the word “peace” means again! while I would never judge you directly the actions of your daughter run deep within my soul forever. i may be marked with the fact that my sons father is a MURDERER! but I will not be marked with the fact that he willingly helped. I thank God for the people who gave their time and effort to finding liesa! MAY GO REST HER SOUL.
YOURS TRULY
JAIME TATRO
zoodweller said
Jaime, I can’t imagine rehashing your history with the man can be easy for you. So for this I give you kudos for coming forward and sharing your story with us. Your son is very lucky to have such a loving and intelligent mother, and will never miss any moments spent with his so called father. The lies and deceit that this man spread across the desert run deep. As a friend of the family I can honestly say, I hope that someone teaches both of these two some jail house justice. God bless you for putting yourself out there the way you did! Take care.
Sardine said
I am in complete shock. He was my roommate on Leominster, MA years ago. My thoughts are with the families. I cannot fathom the pain he has caused and I am ashamed to say that he was once a very good friend of mine. -DS
Ghost said
This whole story is a tragedy from beginning to end. Joyce is having to learn a hard lesson, but she’ll be out of jail this summer some time.
His Army wife, stationed in TX, was duped; Leisa was duped; Joyce was duped; and the Barstow authorities were duped by this loser … he looks like a wimp, certainly can’t defend himself in prison, his habitual lies will not mean a thing to the prison gangs, and his street justice may come to him on in the inside. He, and he alone, deserves what he gets.
Lesia would still be here, and Joyce would’ve completed her college studies by now …. had Jeami not walked into their lives. Quit trying to take a pound of flesh out of other people just because they could only get Jeami for 15-to-life. He won’t ever be paroled again anyway …. he upcoming trials for attempting to hire hitmen to kill Joyce, a Barstow detective, and others while he’s currently in prison will show the type of schemer and liar he is. He deserves to stay in prison for the rest of his life …. he ALONE should pay for this crime.
Rebecca Culver said
I am just hearing of this story & just finished watching this on my computer today. My heart breaks for the Hurst children & for Leeisa’s family, as a single mother myself I can’t begin to imagine how those poor girls will feel without their mother. In my opinion Jeami Chiapulis is a punk, but the more disgusting person to me is Joyce Frannson; I don’t believe for one minute that she had NO idea that there was a body in the trash can with duct tape around it, especially after the police questioned her. I don’t believe that she is so naive, I think she is a sociopath herself. I’m disgusted that she got so little time, she should have gotten the full 5 years at a minimum. Stories like this are a miscarriage of justice & truly inspire me to seriously pursue my law degree. It may take me til I’m 50 before I’m a lawyer, but I would love to be able to have the chance to prosecute cases like this. Thank you as well Jaime for sharing your story. God bless you & your son & my prayers go out to Lesia’s children and family.
falseemail said
Fransson is a selfish manipulative uncaring liar. As a biology student, how she can deny involvement in burying a HEAVY container in the middle of the desert without knowing the contents is just plain unbelievable – the bitch got off easy
Pete said
The case is eerily similar to that of Andrew Cunanan, the killer of Gianni Versace and others. Lie upon fantastic lie, spiraling out of control until things came to a head. And when that time came, the innocent pay.
My heart goes out to all victims in this case.
LATRICE said
I just hope THEY gets everything THEY deserve and my heart and prayers goes out to the family of Leisa Hurt……
SRT said
sardine- same here. He was my roommate for a time as well, (also in massachusetts) when we were in our early 20s. While I always knew he was a liar to his girlfriends at the time I never imagined he was capable of this. Sick to my stomach to know that I was friends with someone who could do such a thing.
Jaimie tatro – the hiding a car for a friend from the repo man- I heard that story too- more than once, sadly. Makes me wonder what the hell that was all about?! What was he hiding then? I dont think I even want to know. There was something else in the ID desperate measures episode that was mentioned and I was like (can’t remember what) – holy crap I heard THAT before too. Seriously. Loser.
My heart truly goes out to leisas daughters and her family. I cannot imagine the pain the family has gone through thanks to this sociopath. My thoughts and prayers are also with Jeami’s family- his siblings are good, kind hearted people.