The Sinister Saga of Kenneth McDuff

The Early Life of a Future Killer

Kenneth Allen McDuff, born on March 21, 1946, in Rosebud, Texas, was one among six children in the family of John Allen "JA" and Addie McDuff. The Texas construction boom of the 1960s saw his father thriving in the concrete business, while Kenneth grew up indulged and unchecked, particularly by his mother, Addie, notoriously known as the "pistol-packing mama." Her protective nature was legendary, once even threatening a school bus driver with a gun when McDuff’s twin brother, Lonnie, was kicked off the bus.

At Rosebud High School, McDuff quickly cultivated a reputation as a notorious bully, choosing his victims carefully after a bruising encounter with Tommy Sammons, a popular and athletic peer. His educational pursuits were short-lived, and he soon left school to work for his father, occasionally boasting about how much the elderly ladies admired his lawn-mowing skills. But admiration soon turned to infamy as McDuff’s life veered into a darker path—a string of burglaries leading him to prison.

The Criminal Path Begins

The criminal journey of Kenneth McDuff began long before his name was etched into infamy. At just 18, he was convicted on 12 counts of burglary and attempted burglary across Bell, Milam, and Falls counties in Texas. The court handed him 12 concurrent four-year prison terms, but he made parole by December 1965. However, his freedom was short-lived; a brawl landed him back in jail, though briefly.

Even before he was convicted of murder, McDuff's ominous aura was palpable. His accomplice in future crimes, Roy Dale Green, later revealed that McDuff boasted about a past filled with violence, claiming to have raped and killed two young women. These dark boasts would soon manifest into terrifying reality.

The Broomstick Murders

On August 6, 1966, McDuff’s chilling spree of violence began. Alongside Green, whom he had met through mutual acquaintances, he spent the day working for his father's concrete business. As night fell, so did their inhibitions. At 10 p.m., McDuff’s lethal hunt led them to a baseball field in Everman, Texas, where Robert Brand, 17, his girlfriend Edna Louise Sullivan, 16, and his cousin Mark Dunnam, 15, stood unsuspectingly beside their parked car.

McDuff, armed with a .38 Colt revolver, forced the teenagers into the trunk of their vehicle. With Green trailing in McDuff's car, they drove to an isolated field. What followed was a grim display of McDuff’s ruthlessness—he shot into the trunk, killing Brand and Dunnam, while Sullivan’s nightmare was just beginning.

After relocating to a more secluded spot, McDuff, with Green’s reluctant assistance, repeatedly raped Sullivan. Even Green’s belt was not brutal enough for McDuff, who opted for a broomstick to strangle her, earning him the moniker “The Broomstick Murderer.” Their night of terror ended with Sullivan’s body discarded in the bushes, followed by a casual stop for Coca-Cola at a gas station.

The following day, Green’s conscience got the best of him. He confessed to a mutual acquaintance, leading to McDuff’s arrest by Falls County Sheriff Albert Brady Pamplin and Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Parnell “T.P.” McNamara Sr. McDuff was convicted and sentenced to death in the electric chair, while Green received a 25-year sentence, released in 1979. However, McDuff’s death sentence was commuted to life with parole following the 1972 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Furman v. Georgia.

Parole and Unleashed Horror

Paroled in 1989, McDuff re-entered society, one of 20 former death-row inmates and 127 murderers to be released. He found employment at a gas station and attended classes at Texas State Technical College in Waco. Yet, within days, McDuff was believed to have resumed killing. The body of Sarafia Parker, 29, was found in Temple, Texas, on October 14, 1989. Though he was not charged, McDuff soon violated parole by threatening an African American youth, sending him back to prison.

However, his mother Addie’s financial influence secured his release again in December 1990. A new reign of terror began when Brenda Thompson, a sex worker, was kidnapped and killed. Despite a dramatic encounter with police, McDuff eluded capture. The pattern repeated with Regenia DeAnne Moore, whose body was discovered years later. McDuff’s brutal spree continued as he kidnapped and murdered Colleen Reed in Austin, witnessed in horror by onlookers at a car wash.

The Trail of Terror

McDuff’s chilling spree continued unabated. His next victim, Valencia Joshua, a sex worker, was strangled and found at a golf course on March 15, 1992. Melissa Northrup, a pregnant store clerk, was abducted on March 1, 1992, from the Waco Quik-Pak, with her body discovered nearly two months later.

The spread of McDuff’s crimes across Texas counties complicated investigations. However, federal offenses of drug peddling and illegal firearm possession provided a breakthrough. On March 6, 1992, a warrant was issued, and McDuff fled to Kansas City, Missouri, under the alias Richard Fowler. His capture followed a tip from a coworker who recognized him on America’s Most Wanted, leading to his arrest on May 4, 1992, by a team including the sons of his original 1966 arresting officers.

Conclusion

Kenneth McDuff’s reign of terror ended with his execution by lethal injection on November 17, 1998, at the Huntsville Unit in Texas. His life and crimes remain a chilling reminder of the darkness that can lurk beneath the surface of society, leaving an indelible mark on the lives he shattered.

Sources

For further reading and verification of the details provided, please visit the Wikipedia page on Kenneth McDuff.