Kendall Francois (born
July 26, 1971) is a
serial killer from Poughkeepsie,
New York
, convicted of killing eight prostitutes, from 1996 to 1998. He is
currently serving
life in prison for
his crimes.
Murders
In October
1996, Wendy Meyers, age 30, was reported missing to the Town of
Lloyd Police, in Ulster County,
New
York
. She was described as a white female, with a
slim build, hazel eyes and short brown hair.
She was last seen at
the Valley Rest Motel in Highland
, a small town situated near the banks of the
Hudson River south of Kingston
.
In December 1996, Gina Barone was reported missing by her mother,
Patricia Barone. Gina was 29 years old and had a small build, brown
hair and an
eagle tattooed on her back. On her
right arm she had another tattoo that read simply “POP.” She was
last seen
November 29, 1996 in
Poughkeepsie on a street corner, apparently having a dispute with
an unidentified man.
In January 1997, Kathleen Hurley, 47, disappeared. She was last
seen walking along Main Street in the downtown area of
Poughkeepsie. Hurley, like the others, was white, had brown hair
and a small build. The letters “CJ” were tattooed on her left
biceps. The same month, City of Poughkeepsie Police, following an
extensive investigation, placed Francois' home at 99 Fulton Avenue
under surveillance. Area prostitutes reported that he was
notoriously rough during sex.
In March 1997, a woman named Catherine Marsh was reported missing
by her mother. She was last observed
November 11, 1996, also in Poughkeepsie. Four
months had passed since she was last seen alive. Like the other
girls, she was white, small build, blue eyes and brown hair.
A month
later, Poughkeepsie Police made a decision to contact the F.B.I.
for
help. Although the F.B.I. investigators were interested,
they were limited by the circumstances of the case: in order to
establish a profile of a suspect, they needed a crime scene.
In November 1997, Mary Healey Giaccone was reported missing. This
report was actually initiated by the police. Her mother died the
previous month.
Her father, a retired New York State
corrections officer, came to the police to ask for
help in locating Mary so he could tell his daughter of her mother's
death. Police soon discovered that she was actually last
seen alive in February 1997 on the same Poughkeepsie streets as
some of the others.
On June 12 1998, Sandra Jean French, a 51-year-old mother of three,
disappeared. Her daughters reported discovered her car three blocks
from Francois' home.
In August 1998, Catina Newmaster disappeared. The circumstances fit
with many of those of the other missing women: She frequented the
same streets of downtown Poughkeepsie, where she was last seen, and
physically resembled the other women who had been reported
missing
Apprehension
On
September 1, 1998,
Kendall Francois was strangling an abducted prostitute when she
became free and fled his home at 99 Fulton Avenue, a short walk
from Vassar
College
. Later that afternoon, City of Poughkeepsie
Police Detective Skip Mannain and Town of
Poughkeepsie
Police Detective Bob McCready were in their
unmarked car preparing to hand out flyers asking the public for
help in the Catina Newmaster disappearance. As the
detectives pulled into the same gas station that Francois just
left, Deborah Lownsdale came up to the car and told them that a
woman, who was now walking away, said that she was just assaulted.
The detectives quickly located the woman, who confirmed the attack.
She was brought into the police station where she filed a complaint
against Francois.
That same afternoon, the police returned to 99 Fulton Avenue to
talk with Francois about this most recent attack. They asked him to
come into the police department to discuss the report. He agreed
and was taken to headquarters. Over the next several hours,
Francois eventually made many admissions regarding the
disappearance of the women. He was arrested and charged with a
single count of murder in the death of Newmaster. A
search warrant was drawn up and on
September 2,
1998, shortly
after midnight, a team of detectives, the district attorney, EMS
crews, crime scene processors, and police officers searched
Francois' home and discovered the many bodies of his victims.
Trial and Sentence
Two days after his arrest, Francois was indicted for the murder of
Catina Newmaster. On September 9, he appeared in court, and a plea
of "not guilty" was entered on his behalf. A month later, on
October 13, he was charged with eight counts of
first degree murder, eight counts of
second degree murder, and
attempted assault.
Under New York State law, first degree murder, which includes
serial murder, gives the
District
Attorney the option of pursuing the
death penalty. Though the D.A. makes the
decision to ask for that sentence, it may only be imposed by the
jury which has heard the case; Francois' attorneys chose to plead
guilty on 23 December, before the D.A. had decided whether to seek
the death penalty, thereby avoiding trial by jury and therefore the
possibility of death.
On February 11, 1999, the Dutchess County Court ruled that the
guilty plea could not be accepted. Later it was discovered that
Francois contracted
HIV from one of his victims.
His defense team took the case to the State Court of Appeals, which
upheld his guilty plea in a ruling in March 2000.
On August 11, 2000, Judge Thomas Dolan formally sentenced Kendall
Francois to life in prison without parole.
He is currently
incarcerated in Attica Correctional Facility
.
References
See also
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