Jersey Shore

Philadelphia Man Pleads Guilty in Slaying at Hard Rock Casino

A Philadelphia man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges following the 2021 death of his girlfriend at the Jersey Shore hotel and casino

Guitar sign outside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City
Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A 61-year-old Philadelphia man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges following the 2019 slaying of his girlfriend at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

According to law enforcement officials, on Tuesday, Frankie E. Lane, 61, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter in exchange for a 20-year term in New Jersey State Prison, where he must serve 85% of that sentence before being eligible for parole.

Police said that Lane was arrested after the June 11, 2021, killing of his then girlfriend, 57-year-old Sharon Whaley, also of Philadelphia, whose body was found in a hotel room at the Atlantic City casino and hotel.

According to investigators, Whaley's body had been found deceased after suffering multiple stab wounds, with a sheet covering her body and a knife on the sheet. Lane, officials said, was seen on surveillance footage wearing clothing that was later found in a bag that had been tossed in a trash can in Atlantic City.

Lane was seen leaving the hotel with the bag but, officials said, he did not have it with him at the Atlantic City bus terminal, where security footage showed him traveling back to Philadelphia.

Lane was located and surrendered to law enforcement a few days later, according to police.

Lane's sentencing is set to be held on Friday, June 23.

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