What did Kenneth McDuff do?
Kenneth McDuff was an American serial killer who murdered 16-year-old Edna Sullivan, 17-year-old Robert Brand, who was Sullivan’s boyfriend, and Brand’s cousin Mark Dunnam, who was only 15 years old. The three teenagers were strangers to him, whom he abducted in California. The murder of Sullivan was particularly brutal as he raped her repeatedly before breaking her neck with a broomstick. McDuff became known as ‘The Broomstick Killer‘ after this awful murder.
McDuff was given 3 death sentences for the murders in 1966 but these were reduced to life imprisonment due to a Supreme Court ruling. In a shocking twist, he was given parole in 1989 and upon his release, he killed again.
What happened when McDuff got out of prison?
We hear too much about murderers being released on parole and going on to kill again, and this was the case with Kenneth McDuff when he was released in 1989. However, what makes it even more shocking is that McDuff was sentenced to death for his initial crimes but ended up back on the streets. He was one of 20 former death row inmates and 127 murderers to be paroled.
After his release, McDuff got a job at a gas station while taking classes at Texas State Technical College in Waco. Authorities reckon it took only 3 days for McDuff to get back into the murder business. The dead body of Sarafia Parker was found on the 14th of October 1989, in a town called Temple, which is 48 miles south of Waco. McDuff was not charged with this particular murder and ended up back in prison soon after on a parole violation for making death threats to an African American young person. It’s fair to say prison hadn’t rehabilitated McDuff.
It wasn’t long before he was roaming the streets again. On the 18th of December 1990, McDuff was again released from prison. 10 months passed by without any major incidents, but in October 1991, he picked up sex worker Brenda Thompson. Shockingly, he was stopped by police, and Thompson kicked the windshield of the car to get their attention, but McDuff drove head-on towards the officers. The police chased after McDuff, but he got away. He then brutally tortured Thompson to death, and her body didn’t turn up until 1998.
On the 15th of October, just 5 days later, McDuff picked up another sex worker, Regenia DeAnne Moore, and killed her. McDuff is also suspected of murdering a woman called Cynthia Renee Gonzalez.
McDuff used an accomplice for his next murder: Alva Hank Worley helped him kill Colleen Reed on the 29th of December 29 1991. McDuff went on to kill Valencia Joshua and Melissa Northrup before police finally caught up to him.
On the 6th of March 1992, a warrant was issued for his arrest on federal drug and illegal firearm charges. Worley admitted to helping McDuff with the murder of Colleen Reed as the police tried to catch up with McDuff.
McDuff had moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and was living under an assumed name, which made it more difficult to track him down. However, on the 1st of May 1992, a co-worker spotted him on America’s Most Wanted and called the police. Three days later, McDuff was finally arrested.
McDuff was only indicted on 1 count of murder for killing Melissa Northrup and he was found guilty. On the 18th of February 1993, he was yet again sentenced to death.
Where is Kenneth McDuff now?
McDuff was executed in 1998. Police believe he was responsible for many more murders than the ones he was linked with. So many lives could’ve been saved if only the parole board hadn’t agreed to release him.
The case was featured in the Paramount + 5-part true crime documentary series, Freed To Kill, which told the story of McDuff’s shocking release from prison and the brutal killings that followed.
What do you think of Kenneth McDuff’s case? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.