Letter: It was Racer Nelson who broke Franklin case

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The inaccuracy of a recent Public Forum letter by a former Salt Lake City Police Department officer has Racer, the longtime friend of both my father and myself, unable to rest in the peace he justly deserves ("Detective who broke Franklin case never recognized," Forum, Nov. 22).

Ronald Edwin "Racer" Nelson will remain the SLPD's most decorated peace officer for many years to come. The other certainty in the longtime Salt Lake City law enforcement community is that it was, in fact, my father's charismatic and keen detective, Racer, who broke the Joseph Paul Franklin case in Salt Lake City.

Two months ago, at Racer's funeral, we all sobbed happy tears as we recalled Racer's tireless work with area prostitutes to bring both justice and closure to our community.

Racer had a clever quote for everything, so he would no doubt take these miscues with a zinger to his wife as he sipped his morning coffee. Hustler publisher Larry Flynt's would-be assassin has taken his final deep breaths. Flynt, of course, remains paralyzed.

Let's not cripple Racer's legend in local law enforcement by a well-intentioned war story.

Daniel McLaughlin Connole

Salt Lake City