Say a Little Subpoena for Aretha

Motown authorities are looking for a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T from Aretha Franklin.

Claiming the Queen of Soul has been snubbing their interview requests, prosecutors in Detroit have gone to court to get an investigative subpoena against Franklin. The D.A. wants to talk to the diva about an arson fire that gutted one of her homes back in October.

Judge Deborah Tyner issued three subpoenas to compel Franklin, son Edward Franklin and two others to testify, according to a statement released from the Oakland County District Attorney's office.

"Offers by Ms. Franklin's lawyer to answer questions on her behalf are unacceptable," said prosecutor David Gorcyca, noting that authorities had asked to question the singer five times, but she had failed to comply. "As we have repeatedly stated in the past, we need to definitively establish what facts Ms. Franklin possesses about this case, and not what her lawyer wishes us to know."

Prosecutors also served subpoenas to Dr. George West, who lives with Edward Franklin, and security guard Tyron Jarrett Sr., who once worked as a former government arson investigator before signing on with Franklin a week before the fire struck.

The October 25 blaze destroyed her 10-bedroom multimillion-dollar mansion in Bloomfield Township, a suburb in northeast Detroit, and was eventually determined by investigators to be an arson after an accelerant was found on the ground floor of the residence.

According to the Detroit Free Press, investigators tried to interview the R&B legend on the day of the fire but she said she was "too tired" to answer any questions. When they attempted to follow up three more times in December, Franklin instead kept referring them to her lawyer. Before the subpoenas were served on Thursday, Judge Tyner again requested that prosecutors contact the diva, but to no avail.

"This is a bizarre chronology of events," Bloomfield Township Police Chief Jeffrey Werner told the Free Press. "We didn't want to be in this position, and it could have been avoided if she'd acted like every other victim of a crime."

Franklin's attorney, Elbert Hatchett, said the singer will "respond" to the subpoena but would not say whether she intended to take the Fifth under questioning.

"She wants to know more than anyone else who burned her house down and why," Hatchett told the Free Press.

Hatchett added that Franklin wanted to cooperate with investigators but hasn't done so becuase he advised against it, fearing authorities might try to incriminate her. Prosecutors have said that Franklin--who was in Houston giving a concert on the night of the fire--is not a suspect in the case. However, the D.A. would not comment on whether the other three subpoena recipients were suspects.

Police initailly detained a man walking in the neighborhood at the time of the fire, but he was interrogated and released in a day.

Earlier this week, Aretha told Launch.com that her reticence has been blown way out of proportion.

"[Investigators] issuing press releases for television shows and daily newspapers to make me look uncooperative is simply not fair, true or necessary," she said. "My attorneys will be in touch with them."

According to friends and acquaintances, Franklin wasn't living in the home at the time of blaze and had hoped to put it up for sale. Her lawyer said the domicile was mainly used as a gathering spot for Franklin's road crew whenever they set off on concert tours.

While Franklin has had documented money issues in the past, Hatchett shot down any suggestion that she may have intentionally torched the house to collect on an insurance policy, noting that the mansion was worth between $1.6 million and $1.8 million and she only had it covered for $1 million.

The D.A.'s office said police have already interviewed Edward Franklin and Jarrett but said there were still questions that needed clarification. The D.A. has floated the idea of granting Franklin immunity if she has pertinent information that would help solve the case. But again, that's predicated on her talking.

Prosecutors declined to elaborate on the contents of the subpoenas other than saying Aretha is compelled to meet with authorities within a week.