Richard Franklin, formerly of Brockton, goes on trial tomorrow for the May 13, 1979 shooting death of a man on Greenbrier Street, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Franklin is charged with manslaughter for Gregory McDavid's death. Authorities say the case went unsolved until 1995, when Franklin allegedly told a community service officer at his Brockton housing project that he wanted to get something off his chest, the DA's office says:

"Acting out of caution, the officer read Franklin his Miranda rights. After stating he understood those rights and wished to speak without a lawyer, Franklin allegedly told the officer that he had shot and killed a man in Boston while trying to rob him. Franklin allegedly said that the shooting had taken place in 1979 when he was 16 years old.

"According to Franklin's statements to the community service officer and, later, to Boston Police homicide detectives, Franklin walked up to the car of a man he believed to be a drug dealer and pointed a handgun at him. When he saw the man reach for the glove compartment, Franklin said, he thought he was reaching for a weapon. Franklin shot him and ran away.

"Details in Franklin's statements were consistent with those of McDavid's homicide, including evidence that the victim had attempted to sell marijuana on Greenbrier Street a short time before he was slain."

Franklin was initially found incompetent to stand trial in 1998. Franklin's trial will be in Suffolk Superior Court.