"Today a Rusk County grand jury handed up five indictments of capital murder against Tyler natives Darnell Hartsfield and Romeo Pinkerton in the execution-style slaying of five victims who were kidnapped from a Kilgore Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in 1983," Abbott said Thursday in a hastily called press conference at the Rusk County Courthouse entrance.
Both Hartsfield, 44, and Pinkerton, 47, are in custody on other charges. At the time of the KFC murders, Hartsfield would have been 22 and Pinkerton would have been 25.
Abbott called the name of each slain victim and said justice would be served.
"Justice has eluded the families of these victims for too long, and these indictments put us a giant step closer to that day," he said.
THE MURDERS
On Sept. 23, 1983, several unknown suspects made their way into the KFC restaurant in Kilgore and abducted five people.
The suspects then took the five victims to a rural oil field on Walter King Road, where they were shot in the head and left for dead. An oil field worker discovered the bodies the next day.
Mary Tyler, 37; Opie Ann Hughes, 39; Joey Johnson, 20; David Maxwell, 20; and Monte Landers, 19, were found shot to death. All five were shot at least twice.
Autopsy reports indicated Mrs. Hughes was shot in the back as she tried to flee and Johnson was shot in the abdomen.
The Kilgore Police Department, Rusk County Sheriff's Office, the FBI, the Tyler Police Department crime unit, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Texas Rangers all joined in the investigation, scouring the murder scene and the restaurant for clues, but the case soon grew cold.
DNA EVIDENCE
In 2001, DNA evidence collected on a bloodstained box from the KFC crime scene was fed into the Combined DNA Index System. The database indexes DNA from violent criminals and crime scenes in all states except Mississippi, and allows investigators to enter data and search for possible matches.
Shortly after investigators in the case received news there was a match in the system, the case began to inch forward.
Lisa Tanner, Texas Attorney General's Office assistant prosecutor, and her team of investigators began working with the Rusk County Sheriff's Department and the district attorney's office in rekindling the case.
"The team worked to reconstruct the crime scene, reconnect the evidence and gather DNA from the two men indicted today in an effort to build a solid case with the grand jury," Abbott said.
Ms. Tanner and Rusk County prosecutors began presenting the case to special called grand juries as witnesses and investigators filed one by one into the closed chambers.
The investigation focused on Hartsfield and several other men incarcerated in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, including Pinkerton.
PREPARING FOR TRIAL
Abbott said his office is continuing to work with other agencies and the families of the victims for a resolution in the case.
"This case will be tried in a court of law and we want it brought to trial as soon as possible," he said. "The events of that night have remained a mystery for two decades."
However, Abbott could not say when the case would proceed to trial or if the case would be moved to another location because it is so well known in East Texas.
Ms. Tanner said events in the past month have sped up the process, but she would not divulge what new information had been received.
"It's obviously a huge step. There have been significant developments over the last month, but I can not reveal what they are at this time," she said.
Abbott said everything would be divulged through court proceedings and he would not reveal whether there were additional suspects in the murders.
A prepared statement from Abbott's office said defendants in Texas convicted of capital murder could be sentenced to life in prison or death by lethal injection and he would not say which his office would be seeking.
However, Ms. Tanner and Rusk County prosecutors have previously stated that they would seek the death penalty against whoever was responsible for the murders.
Rusk County District Attorney Michael Jimerson said he appreciated the help of the Attorney General's Office.
"This is not another step, but rather the beginning of the end of the 22-year investigation and prosecution," he said.
KFC Sequence Of Events
Sept. 23, 1983
Working at the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Kilgore are Mary Tyler, 37, Opie Hughes, 39, and Joey Johnson, 20. David Maxwell, 20, an off-duty employee, and Monte Landers, 20, are visiting Johnson. At about 11 p.m., Mrs. Tyler's daughter, Kim, arrives. A door is open and blood is on the floor.
Sept. 14, 1983
An oil field worker arriving about 10 a.m. at a well in Rusk County finds the five victims. Each had been shot in back of the head.
Sept. 28, 1983
DPS appoints Texas Ranger Capt. G.W. Burks of Dallas to oversee the investigation after law officers in Rusk and Gregg counties complain that coordination is breaking down.
March 7, 1995
A Rusk County grand jury begins hearing KFC
testimony.
April 27, 1995
The grand jury indicts James Earl Mankins Jr. on five counts of capital murder. Investigators say a fingernail recovered from the clothing of one of the victims
matches Mankin's DNA.
Nov. 13, 1995
A judge drops capital murder charges against Mankins after more tests establish the fingernail was not his.
Dec. 20, 2001
An affidavit names Mankins' wife, Deborah, as a
suspect.
Feb. 22, 2002
Rusk County Sheriff James Stroud says blood samples from a possible suspect will be compared to crime-scene evidence.
Sept. 8, 2003
A new grand jury in Rusk County begins hearing KFC evidence.
Jan. 29, 2004
Grand jury members are released after spending five months hearing testimony in the KFC case.
Sept. 9, 2004
Police officers search for a witness scheduled to appear before another grand jury hearing KFC evidence. Kyle Freeman said the woman is a person of interest who failed to appear before the panel.
Nov. 10, 2004
A Rusk County grand jury indicts Darnell Hartsfield on aggravated perjury charges for allegedly lying about being in the KFC restaurant.
July 30, 2005
Romeo Pinkerton is arrested in Tyler on charges of burglarizing Griffin Elementary School, and evading arrest/detention.
Oct. 9, 2005
Several lawmen familiar with the case tell the Tyler newspaper they believe there is enough evidence to solve the case.
Oct. 26, 2005
A jury finds Darnell Hartsfield guilty of aggravated
perjury for lying to a grand jury investigating the KFC case. He had said he was not in the restaurant. DNA evidence indicated he had been there.
Nov. 17, 2005
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announces that a grand jury has indicted Darnell Hartsfield and Romeo Pinkerton on five counts each of capital murder.
Kenneth Dean covers police, fire, public safety organizations. He can be reached at 903.596.6353. e-mail: news@tylerpaper.com"> news@tylerpaper.com
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