Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “The Broomstick Murderer” Kenneth McDuff Pt. 2

Episode Date: July 22, 2021

After his first three murders, Kenneth McDuff was quickly apprehended and brought to trial. But while it seems like that should be the end of the story, the tale of Kenneth McDuff still had a long way to go… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this episode, listener discretion is advised. This episode contains discussion of murder, rape, and sexual assault that some listeners may find disturbing. Extreme caution is advised for listeners under 13. In the fall of 1991, the women of Waco, Texas, didn't know what was going on. Nothing like this had ever happened before, at least not to the people they knew. But for some reason, sex workers were being picked off one by one, as if they were in. being hunted. These women would go out like always, off to motels, parking lots, wherever they needed to go to be with a john. But then hours would pass, then days, and they never came back.

Already two girls had vanished within days of each other, disappearing without a trace. It just didn't make sense. And it was clear that their line of work wasn't safe. But what could they do? They needed the money, and sex workers couldn't just go to the police and ask for help. Their profession was outside the law, and many of the women were underage. They were stuck, vulnerable, and getting desperate. The hard truth was that no one was coming to help them. All they could do was stick together, to let each other know when they were going off for a job and where they were going to be. But even that was no guarantee.

Something was out there. And it was hungry, and there was no telling when it would come to claim its next victim. Hi, I'm Greg Poulson. This is Serial Killers, a Spotify original from Parcast. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today, we finish our look into the life of Kenneth Allen McDuff, also known as the broomstick murderer. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of Serial Killers. killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Last time, we discussed Kenneth's early adulthood, which was marked by an obsession with sadistic games. In 1966, he carried out his most gruesome crime yet. Over the course of a single night, he murdered two teenage boys, then raped and murdered a teenage girl, using a broomstick as his weapon of choice. Today, we'll dive into the aftermath of this murder and cover the three horrific decades that followed. We've got all that and more coming up. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by ZipRecruiter. Whether you're hiring for a role or searching for a killer,

the hunt can be exhausting. When detectives looked and searched to find any kind of evidence to find the person they were looking for, like Jack the Ripper, the Golden State Killer, the Unit Bomber. It's tedious work to find what you're looking for. So if you're hiring, I've got news for you. You can skip the lengthy investigation and the tiresome process of sorting through hundreds of resumes. Just use ZipRecruiter.

Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash killers. Because not only does ZipRecruiter have the technology to match you with potential candidates quickly, it also just added a new feature that pushes candidates who are qualified and interested in your role to the top of the list. They can even tell you why they're interested, making it easier for you to get a sense of who they are. Cut through the standard and get to the standouts with ZipRecruiter. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. And now you can try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash killers. That's ZipRecruiter.com slash killers.

Meet your match on ZipRecruiter. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. and Clyde, the lonely hearts killers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. These are infamous criminal duels. But you don't need to break any laws to find your perfect business partner because you have Shopify. It's the commerce platform that can help you with literally everything,

website design, marketing, shipping, and more. So start your business today with the best partner, Shopify, and get that. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash killers. That's Shopify.com slash killers. Last night, you spent two hours deciding what to wear to the party. This morning, it'll take you two minutes to list it on Deepop

and make your money back. Just grab your phone, snap a few photos, and we'll take care of the rest. The sheer dress and platform heels you'll never wear again, there's a birthday girl searching for them right now. Your one-and-done look is about to pay for your next night out, or at least the right home. Your style can make you cash. Start selling on D-pop, where Taste recognizes taste.

By the summer of 1966, 20-year-old Kenneth Allen McDuff had evolved into an entirely different kind of criminal. His days of breaking into mom-and-pop shops around his hometown of Rosebud, Texas, were over. That August, he became a hardened killer. On the sixth, Kenneth murdered three teenagers in a gruesome attack known as the broomstick murders. The two boys, 17-year-old Robert Brand and 15-year-old Mark Dunham, died quickly. But 16-year-old Edna Sullivan wasn't so lucky. Before killing her, Kenneth raped her multiple times and had his accomplice 18-year-old Roy Dale Green rape her too. Afterwards, Kenneth used the end of a broomstick handle to choke Edna to death.

Fortunately, Roy came forward to tell police what had happened and where they could find. Kenneth. After a brief, frantic chase, they arrested him and charged him with murder. As Kenneth paced angrily in his cell, the news of his gruesome murders began to trickle through the gossip channels of Rosebud and the surrounding towns. Kenneth was already known as a troubled person, and certainly someone who had caused more than enough problems, but this crime brought to light a new kind of sadistic violence that was beyond the pale. One of the most bizarre More elements of the murder was Kenneth's manipulation of his friend. Before that fateful night, Roy was just another young man working hard labor. To the casual observer, he might seem

unremarkable, perhaps a little cowardly and definitely not someone with a big personality. And then, out of nowhere, he was embroiled in a triple homicide. But Roy wasn't anything like Kenneth. For starters, he wasn't cut out for the criminal life. he'd folded under the weight of his own guilt in less than 24 hours. And though Roy owned up to his role, he made one thing clear. Kenneth was the true mastermind. Roy described his friend as a stone-cold killer and tried to help investigators locate the gun he'd used to kill the two boys.

Thanks to his cooperation, police had enough evidence to build a strong case against Kenneth. Of course, Roy's assistance didn't get him a free pass. no matter what, a prison sentence was in his near future. But Roy couldn't just sit back and do nothing. His guilt seemed all-consuming, and he felt compelled to make sure Kenneth paid a price for what he did. Three months later, Kenneth's trial began in a packed courtroom in Fort Worth.

The trial promised to be a speedy one. After all, what defense could Kenneth possibly make? They already had Roy's detailed confession. But Kenneth wasn't down and out. Yet. He had his own plan. After days of tearful testimony from the victim's families, he took the stand and declared that Roy was the real monster.

Kenneth was simply a victim of circumstance. There was more than enough evidence to prove otherwise, but Kenneth didn't care. In his mind, his words should automatically be taken as truth, as gospel. He'd always displayed narcissistic qualities, but this moment showed the depths he was willing to go in defense of his own image. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. As a reminder, she is not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but we have done a lot of research for this show.

Thanks, Greg. In a 2005 study, doctors Kelly A. Dickinson and Aaron L. Pinkus noted that narcissists find creative ways to view their own actions in a positive light. This is especially true for grandiose narcissists, a group of self-obsessed people. who display aggression and dominance over others. If a grandiose narcissist fails, it's nearly impossible for them to accept that failure as their own doing. Rather, this kind of person is so convinced of their own exceptionalism

that they find another target to blame, someone else who will conveniently bear the load of accountability. While we don't know for certain if Kenneth was ever diagnosed as a grandiose narcissist, he certainly displayed the tell-tale signs. He was aggressive, dominant, and manipulative. His trial should have been a moment in which he confronted his own many shortcomings, but for him that seemed an impossibility. During his testimony, Kenneth painted his accomplice as a lustful, agitated killer

who was driven to murder out of a hunger for violence. It was Roy and not Kenneth who'd been prowling for girls on that night. As he reimagined Roy as a cold-blooded murderer, Kenneth described himself as the more passive, disinterested. If Kenneth's testimony stood alone, perhaps it would have carried more weight, but he wasn't the only one allowed to speak. When Roy took the stand, he was completely different from the person that Kenneth had described. Instead of a ruthless killer, Roy was a remorseful young man. During his statement, he was inconsolable, shaking and sobbing as he went over the events of August 6th.

Fortunately, the jury were more inclined to believe Roy. They weren't fooled by Kenneth for a minute, and as prosecutors brought forth more evidence, the road to a conviction became even clearer. The most damning exhibit was a blue-striped shirt belonging to one of the boys Kenneth killed. It was found in Kenneth's car, and Roy confirmed that Kenneth used it to wipe off the broomstick after killing Edna. It was a final nail in the coffin. Kenneth's fate was sealed. The trial concluded after just a few weeks, and on November 15, 16th, 16th, 16th,

Kenneth was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death in the electric chair. Justice was served and the citizens of Rosebud could finally breathe a much-needed sigh of relief. To close the book on this traumatic saga, Roy pleaded guilty to murder and was handed a 25-year sentence. Both men were hauled off, staring down many years behind bars. Of course for Kenneth, that time was expected to be much shorter. I wish we could tell you that the story ended. there that Kenneth McDuff served out his sentence and lived the rest of his life without hurting anyone else. But unfortunately, this isn't where things ended for him. Even in the 1960s, a death

sentence wasn't carried out immediately, which meant Kenneth had time to think and reflect. Oh, not to better himself. He didn't see the error of his ways and seek to atone for his sins. No, he used his time on death row to find a way to escape his fate. In the past, things had always seemed to turn out in his favor, and he had no reason to expect that this time would be any different. Coming up, Kenneth proves that he's more than capable of evading justice. Imagine living with a secret so big that if anyone ever found out, it would change everything. Imagine carrying that secret with you every day, desperate to one day get it off your chest.

Do you think you could take a secret like that to the grave? I'm a Stefania Higman, host of the new podcast series, Deathbed Confessions, the show where we dive deep into the most explosive things people have admitted to while drawing their last breath, from murder, fake identities, heists, elicit affairs, and even top government secrets. This season on Deathbed Confessions, we investigate cases like Frank Thurrogood, the construction worker who claimed that the drowning of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones was no act. accident. Margaret Gibson, a silent film actress who, while dying of a heart attack,

confessed to one of the most famous unsolved crimes in Hollywood history. And ex-CIA officer Howard Hunt, who on his deathbed, confessed to playing a role in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Deathbed Confessions is a Spotify original from Parcast, airing episodes weekly starting July 21st. Follow and listen to Deathbed Confessions for free on Spotify. life drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly big board buck slot machine by aristocrat gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package, the biggest prize in Yamava's history. Club Serrano members can earn daily instant prizes and secure a spot in the finale May 29th. Don't pass go and own it all, only at Yamava,

celebrating its 40th anniversary. You win? Details at yamava.com must be 21-20. Please gamble responsibly. Monopoly is a trademark of Hasbro. Hasbro is not a sponsor of this promotion. Now back to the story. In 1966, the same year that he committed the broomstick murders, 20-year-old Kenneth McDuff was sent to death row to a way to date with the electric chair. But things weren't as urgent as they seemed. Carrying out death sentences is rarely a speedy process. All Kenneth had to do was prolong his execution for long enough.

He hoped that if he bought himself enough time, he could find a way to lessen his sentence, get off death row, and return to the real world of free man. In the meantime, Kenneth apparently enjoyed his new surroundings. Unlike most other prisoners, he thrived behind bars. As a convicted murderer, he behaved as though he carried a certain level of clout, an air of danger that often worked in his favor with the other inmates. People knew his name and knew that he brutally murdered at least three people. They knew Kenneth wasn't a man to be messed with.

According to his own accounts, he stood out as a tough guy, scaring and intimidating other inmates. What's more, Kenneth seemed to have remarkable luck. In the first few years of his prison sentence, he received execution dates on two separate occasions and was granted stays both times. It isn't clear how this happened, or whether Kenneth himself was the one who petitioned for the delayed execution dates.

But we do know that he made a place. point to better himself in prison, at least on the surface. In 1973, when he was 27, he completed his GED and began taking college-level courses. It's likely that Kenneth didn't do these things as a way of truly improving himself. Rather, he was probably inflating his already massive ego and increasing the means by which he could manipulate others. On the surface, it may seem like this person is a natural leader or interested in their own personal growth, but the These actions are typically made through a lens of self-obsession and an interest in confirming their own superiority.

As far as we can tell, Kenneth's decision to educate himself was strategic. Taking classes, getting his GED, and enrolling in college-level courses were all just bargaining tokens. The more he play-acted the role of a rehabilitated criminal, the more likely people would believe him. That made it more likely he would get exactly what he wanted. wanted. And it worked.

In 1969 and 1970, Kenneth earned last-minute stays of execution. And it's possible that this good behavior helped him earn just a little more time. Of course, this only fed his sense of overconfidence. In his mind, it was his pure skill and cunning that prolonged his life. Despite being the one in a cage, Kenneth believed he had the real control, and these moments proved it. his biggest break was yet to come. In 1972, a totally unrelated crime changed his life. It was another murder committed hundreds of miles away in Georgia, and just like Kenneth,

the killer was found guilty and sentenced to death. But the defendant, 31-year-old William Henry Furman, contested his ruling. He and two other convicted criminals appealed to the United States Supreme Court and called on the government to reconsider its U.S. U.S. U.S. Supreme Court and called on the government to reconsider its use of death penalties. That June, Supreme Court judges decided that certain death sentence rulings were considered cruel and unusual punishment. The landmark decision affected every prisoner on death row across the country. Criminals could no longer be sentenced to death without a full consideration of their crimes.

But as there had been no previous system in place to do this, the ruling effectively commuted all death sentences to life sentences. For Kenneth, that was a literal lifesaver. lifesaver. With death off the table, he now had ample time to whittle down his sentence, and he already had a plan to make that happen. Kenneth's idea was virtually identical to the stance he took during his own trial. He wanted to prove that his accomplice, Roydale Green, was the real broomstick murderer, and that he, Kenneth, had been framed for a crime he didn't commit. It didn't seem to bother Kenneth that this plan had failed in the past. He seemed incapable of

seeing himself as anything other than a victim. And in 1976, when the 30-year-old became eligible for parole, he made his case to the board. Of course, Kenneth was no stranger to this process. During his first stint in prison, he'd applied and reapplied for parole with an unshakable determination. But this time, Kenneth hoped things would be different. It certainly helped that his mother was still in his corner. Even after the trial, Mrs. McDuff never wavered. in her belief that her perfect son was innocent. And once she heard that Kenneth wanted to clear his name, she was more than happy to help.

In the late 1970s, Mrs. McDuff hired Gary Jackson to represent her son. The lawyer got right to work, re-evaluating court documents and trying to find moments where the facts could be called into question. Jackson put together a massive collection of evidence that supposedly painted Roy in a more negative light and made him look like the killer. He eventually sent this 26-page tome to the parole board, and on two separate occasions between 1976 and 1981,

Kenneth found himself only one vote away from approval. But he wasn't quite there yet. So Jackson kept at it, following any possible lead that could strengthen Kenneth's case. Meanwhile, Kenneth kept acting as the model prisoner in order to impress the board. That didn't mean he was particularly kind to any of his inmates, but he continued taking classes and keeping up the appearance that he was bettering himself.

Throughout the 1970s and 80s, neither Kenneth nor his lawyer wavered in their dedication to their cause, and eventually their endurance paid off. In 1989, Kenneth was approaching middle age and looked very different from the hulking 20-year-old who first entered prison. By then, it had been over 20 years, since the broomstick murders, which was ample time for the shock and notoriety of that August night to fade. That is, at least in the eyes of the parole board, Kenneth's file had been brought forward year after year, and his case seemed to carry less and less weight each time. That year, when he was up for review, the board was under intense pressure to reduce the number of inmates in Texas's

overcrowded prison system. Therefore, they were more willing to reconsider 43-year-old Kenneth's sentence. One of the board members, a man named Chris Mealy was reportedly impressed with Kenneth's dedication to furthering his education. For him, that was a clear indication that Kenneth was changing for the better. The killer was reformed. Later that fall, Kenneth received the news that he'd been hoping for. Two of the three board members had approved his parole application.

He'd go free. Unfortunately, he'd make them regret their decision. Kenneth left prison in October of 1989. From there, he moved to the city of Temple, Texas, where his family had relocated while he was in prison. But while the way to the broomstick murders may have faded for the parole board, the people of Texas hadn't forgotten. Even now, the communities surrounding Rosebud, which included Temple,

still remembered Kenneth McDuff. To them, he was a killer, and no amount of time could change that fact. We can't say for certain if Kenneth made any attempt to prove them wrong. We simply don't know much about how he spent his time when he returned to civilian life. We do know that he moved around frequently. He likely worked temporary jobs as a manual laborer, and it seems he considered going to school to become a commercial truck driver.

And one other thing is clear. Wherever Kenneth went, death followed close behind. Just three days after he was released from prison, a woman's naked body was found in a desolate field in Southeast Temple. The woman, identified as 29-year-old Saraphia Parker, had been beaten mercilessly and strangled to death. There was no way to tie Kenneth to this murder, so there was no clear reason for the police to investigate him.

But for many in the community, there was no other answer. The broomstick murderer was back, and he was ready to make up for lost time. Meanwhile, for perhaps the first time in his life, 45-year-old Kenneth seemed unconcerned with his bad reputation. He was focused on continuing his education. Despite all the classes he took in prison, Kenneth had never gotten a degree. So in 1991, he enrolled in Texas State Technical College in Waco and moved into a campus dorm.

Once again, it looked like he was really trying to better himself. But his presence served as a kind of, death knell for the surrounding area. Within a few weeks of his arrival, women started disappearing from the area. Most of them were sex workers, and all of them were last seen with Kenneth McDuff. Even the police spotted one of these women in Kenneth's clutches. In October of 1991, Kenneth picked up 37-year-old Brenda Thompson. Once he had her in his grasp, things took a dark turn. It's unclear how Kenneth did it, but by midnight he'd tied Brenda up, thrown her in the passenger seat of his pickup truck, and driven off into the night.

It's easy to imagine that he planned to repeat with Brenda what he did to 16-year-old Edna Sullivan in 1966. But before he could find a quiet spot, he encountered a police roadblock barring his path. When Kenneth rolled his car to a stop, a police officer approached and identified himself. So far, it was a routine stop. But then things got serious in a hurry. The officer heard Brenda screaming from the passenger side, and he rushed towards the car. Her arms appeared to be tied behind her back,

and she was kicking at the windshield, cracking it in multiple places. Through it all, Kenneth reportedly sat in the front, staring daggers at the officer. Then he made his choice. Kenneth gummed the engine, sending the truck flying down the road. The officer scrambled back to his cruiser and swung it onto the pavement.

But Kenneth had a head start. His teenage years of driving recklessly through the areas surrounding his small town had paid off. He sped the truck through the streets of Waco, going the wrong way on single-direction roads. The police couldn't keep up, and as Kenneth's truck got farther away, any chance at helping Brenda dwindled to nothing.

Fortunately, the officer at the roadblock had gotten a clear look at Kenneth's face. that, along with the make of his truck, made him a very easy person to track down in the following days. It's unclear exactly what follow-up actions the police took, but Kenneth was soon confident that he didn't have to worry about the incident. Perhaps the authorities believed that without a body, there was no way to prove that Kenneth had done anything wrong, so there was little they felt able to do.

It was as if Kenneth lived a charmed life he could do as he pleased and always found a way to dodge any kind of real trouble. Of course, this only made him more brazen. A few months later in February of 1992, a young woman named Valencia K. Joshua went missing. She was last seen in the college campus asking for directions to Kenneth's Dorm. Then, not long after Valencia's disappearance,

another body turned up in a nearby gravel pit. 22-year-old Melissa Northrop had been strangled to death. Between September of 1991 and March of 1992, at least five women had disappeared from Waco and its surrounding areas. A majority were sex workers, and all of them were last seen with, or on their way to, someone matching Kenneth McDuff's description. Some of them were found within days of disappearing, their strangled bodies thrown into gravel pits, empty fields, and shallow graves. Others remained missing for years. While Kenneth seemingly chose to direct his violent tendencies towards the local community of sex workers, he likely suspected that such victims weren't going to be a priority for local authorities.

He, like so many people in society, saw them as disposable. Once again, he was playing the system for his benefit, and it looked like he was only just getting started. Coming up, Kenneth continues his reign of terror. I am your host Stasi Schroeder. Welcome to Tell Me Lies, the official podcast. What's the most unhinged thing of season three? Stephen, because he's so evil. I do think he is misunderstood.

You see everyone face consequences. It's intoxicating. The writers just know how to trick you. There's always a twist in this show. It's nothing you would expect. Tell Me Lies, the official podcast now streaming and stream the new season of Tell Me Lies on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus. Now back to the story. By the spring of 1992, 45-year-old Kenneth McDuff had assaulted and murdered at least three sex workers in Waco, Texas.

What's more, sex workers continued to go missing, and it seemed like there was no end in sight to his killing spree. Kenneth was able to kill with impunity, thanks to two key factors. First was the nature of many of his victim's employment. At the time, it seems that violence against sex workers was rarely a subject of concern for the police. The potential reasons for this are complicated and uncomfortable, but it's possible that because their work was against the law, as well as frowned upon by the general public, few people were inclined to care when sex workers turned up dead.

It was bleak, but according to Gary Cartwright, a journalist writing for Texas Monthly, it certainly seemed like local police weren't all that interested in a few missing sex workers. But there was another element that made, Kenneth a difficult person to arrest. He spread his attacks across multiple counties. This made any kind of organized police investigation extremely difficult because jurisdiction varied case by case. So, seeing few obstacles in his path, Kenneth carried on as he had been. Then eventually he started

taking bigger risks. Rather than trick sex workers into entering his car, he started abducting women from public places. In late December of 1991, Kenneth kidnapped 28-year-old Colleen Reed in Austin and 22-year-old Melissa Northrop in Waco. He grabbed Melissa from the convenience store where she worked. Colleen had been washing her car. Both women were last seen with Kenneth before they disappeared. These crimes were different from his other murders.

They took place in public settings and involved women who likely had more robust reputation. by local standards. After the disappearances, people in Waco were hesitant to leave their homes, for fear they might be snatched next. According to Dr. Scott Bonn, a criminologist who specializes in serial killers, risk is a huge motivator for these kinds of criminals. Every successful murder only pushes them forward to kill again in even more dangerous circumstances. For example, instead of killing under the cover of night, they may begin killing during the day. and every new risk factor only heightens the excitement of the deed. By late 1991, it's possible that Kenneth thought it was too easy to kill sex workers.

He wanted something more challenging, more dangerous, more risky. For him, that meant abducting women at their place of work. The people of the surrounding communities were terrified. Parents were afraid to allow their daughters to go to school, work, anywhere. The sense of danger was palpable. Something had to be done and fast. Up until this point, it had been difficult to definitively link Kenneth to any of the murders and disappearances, but these new attacks were different.

Neither Colleen nor Melissa were involved in sex work, and both were seen with a man matching Kenneth's description before they disappeared. This not only allowed authorities to associate him with these crimes, but it also prompted larger efforts by the public to find the missing. women. Three law enforcement officials were particularly attentive to Kenneth's activities. Deputy U.S. Marshals, Mike McNamara and Parnell McNamara, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Johnston. As the news of missing women spread across Central Texas, these officials were convinced that Kenneth was the man responsible. And from their perspective, it was only a matter

of time before he killed again. They wanted him in custody, but still lacking enough evidence to bring him in on murder charges, they needed to find another way. In order for these federal officers to have grounds for an arrest, Kenneth had to commit a federal offense. That meant something like selling an illegal firearm or selling drugs, anything that could place him on the radar of federal agents. But until he made that kind of mistake, all the officers could do was sit and wait. Luckily, they didn't have to wait long. Along with murder, Kenneth also dabbled in other types of criminal activity, like drug dealing. It's possible he got his start in the drug trade while in prison, using his clout as a murderer to act as the in-between for addicts who wanted

their fix. We don't know much about Kenneth's drug habits, like how often he sold drugs or to whom. But in the spring of 1992, he made a big mistake. He sold drugs to a police informant. Unfortunately, the informant couldn't make an arrest, so Kenneth went on about his day, and likely had no idea what he'd done. But in the eyes of the police, it was a breakthrough. Now, the authorities could officially charge him with a felony, making Kenneth a federal fugitive. But there was just one problem.

Kenneth was nowhere to be found. Like so many of his victims, he'd simply banished. In the early morning hours of March 1st, Kenneth parked his Thunderbird in a Waco parking lot and left it there. Then, seemingly aware police were on his tail, he disappeared into the night. State and federal officials scrambled to assemble a task force to help in the search, but they struggled to pick up the scent.

In hopes to gain more intel on him, Johnston and the McNamara's turned to other criminals Kenneth knew. The problem was many of these men had met Kenneth in prison and were far too loyal to snitch, at least at first. At some point, the McNamarras found a unique and effective way of, of softening up these hardened men. They told them about the broomstick murders, describing in vivid detail exactly how Kenneth violated and killed 16-year-old Edna Sullivan.

Many of Kenneth's fellow inmates were well aware he'd killed people, but few knew the whole story. When they heard the revolting details of his crimes, some of the convicts were finally ready to talk. In snippets, the police were able to place Kenneth at the scene of various disappearances. and after a few weeks of badgering, they were even able to score a shocking confession. 34-year-old Alba Hank Worley was, as the McNamara saw him, the current version of Roydale Green.

After several attempts to convince him to talk, he told police exactly what had happened to 28-year-old Colleen Reed, who'd last been seen washing her car. After kidnapping Colleen from the car wash, Kenneth and Hank raped her in the backseat of Kenneth's Thunderbird. Kenneth also tortured her with lit cigarettes. The two men drove around for hours. Eventually, Kenneth dropped Hank off at home, telling his friend that he planned to use up Colleen before killing her. The McNamara's made the bold decision to release Hank's confession to the public,

hoping that the horrific story would help flush Kenneth out. Then, on May 1st, Kenneth's case was featured on the popular television program, America's Most Wanted. And as luck would have it, media strategy worked. Two days after the episode about Kenneth aired, Kansas City Police Sergeant J.D. Johnson took a call from a very distraught man. He watched the episode and recognized the killer the show described. The man was a co-worker, he explained, working on a garbage truck in Kansas City,

and everyone at work knew him as a man who mostly kept a low profile. But the caller knew Kenneth by another name, Richard Fowler. With this information, Sergeant Sergeant Johnson pulled up Fowler's file, and that's when everything started falling into place. Although it was only an alias, Kenneth had used his false name when he was arrested sometime earlier. That spring, he'd been arrested for soliciting a sex worker, and an arrest meant fingerprints. Within a few hours of the revelation, Kansas City law enforcement cross-referenced those prints to the ones on file for Kenneth McDuff. They were a match.

This was their man, and it was time to bring him in at last. Sergeant Johnson found out which garbage truck Kenneth was scheduled to be working on the following day, in what cross streets he would be at between 1 and 2 p.m. On May 4th, police set up an ambush. When Kenneth arrived at the right spot, officers rushed forward and surrounded him. He made a move to escape via the passenger side door, but it was too late. two armed police officers quickly apprehended him. It was finally over.

Kenneth was brought from Kansas City back to Texas for yet another trial. By this stage, he was suspected of killing nine women, but many of those cases lacked the kind of evidence that would be useful for a conviction. Ultimately, Kenneth was charged for two murders, those of Colleen Reed and Melissa Northrop. The cases were handled in two separate trials, but both delivered the same guilty verdict. And for the second time in his life, Kenneth received the death sentence.

Fortunately, the Supreme Court decision that saved his life before didn't affect his new sentence. There was no getting out of it. Interestingly, as Kenneth's execution date drew closer, he became more willing to tell people the location of the bodies. It seemed that at last he realized he had nothing else to lose. So in 1998, the police began the long, painful search for Kenneth's victims who were still missing. They unearthed Brenda Thompson's decomposed body. After he escaped the police roadblock, Kenneth killed her and buried the body in a shallow grave, surrounded by poison ivy.

It had been years since her murder, so there was little of her left other than a skeleton. Soon after that, police followed Kenneth's directions to a sandy patch of beach on the side of a river and found teeth that belonged to Colleen Reed. Finding these remains hardly brought peace to grieving families who had spent years searching for any glimmer of hope. It was closure, but only in its bleakest form. The only peace of mind perhaps came from knowing that the sadistic killer would pay for his crimes at last. There was no reprieve this time. On November 17, 1998, Kenneth McDuff died by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas. It was 52 years old. To this day, several of Kenneth's

victims are still missing. It isn't even clear exactly how many women Kenneth killed, but it's believed to be anywhere from 7 to 14. Even in death, Kenneth McDuff continues to hold a painful grip over the lives of so many people. There are still families who don't know where their daughters went, and they may never know. Thanks again for tuning in to serial killers. We'll be back soon with a new episode. For more information on the broomstick murders, amongst the many sources we used,

we found Bad Boy from Rosebud, The Murderous Life of Kenneth Allen McDuff, by Gary M. Laverne, extremely helpful to our research. You can find more episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time.

Have a killer week. Serial Killers is a Spotify original from Parcast. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cuddler, sound design by Scott Strannic, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Trent Williamson, Carly Madden, and Joshua Kern. This episode of serial killers was written by Georgia Hampston, with writing assistance by Jane O. and Joel Callan, fact-checking by Bennett Logan, and research by Brian Petrus and Chelsea Wood.

Serial killers stars Greg Polson and Vanessa Richardson. Tires Matter. They're the only part of your vehicle that touches the road. Tread confidently with new tires from TireRack. Whether you're looking for expert recommendations or know exactly what you want, TireRack makes it easy. Fast, free shipping, free road hazard protection, and convenient installation options. Go to Tirec.com to see TireTest results, tire ratings, and consumer reviews,

and be sure to check out all the special offers. tire rack.com, the way tire buying should be. Ryan Reynolds here for MintMobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities, so do like I did

and have one of your assistants assistants to switch you to MintMobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available.

Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com.