Evidence Held Focus Of KFC Murder Trial
By KENNETH DEAN
Staff Writer
NEW BOSTON - The prosecution in the 1983 mass murders of five people abducted from a Kilgore eatery ended the first week of testimony showing a box crucial to their case was in possession of a state agency just days after the crime.
The prosecution also showed that two and possibly three guns were used in the murders of Mary Tyler, 37; Opie Ann Hughes, 39; Joey Johnson, 20; David Maxwell, 20; and Monte Landers, 19. Their bodies were found Sept. 24, 1983, in a rural Rusk County oilfield. Each had been shot at least twice - "execution style."
After several days of the defense attorneys for Romeo Pinkerton picking apart the states' witnesses and their testimony, the roles were reversed Friday.
Lisa Tanner, Texas Attorney General's Office and lead prosecutor, began her questioning of John Beene, DPS forensic scientist in Tyler, in regard to the KFC case, and asked if he was the custodian of records in the case with evidence submitted to his agency in Tyler.
Staff Writer
NEW BOSTON - The prosecution in the 1983 mass murders of five people abducted from a Kilgore eatery ended the first week of testimony showing a box crucial to their case was in possession of a state agency just days after the crime.
The prosecution also showed that two and possibly three guns were used in the murders of Mary Tyler, 37; Opie Ann Hughes, 39; Joey Johnson, 20; David Maxwell, 20; and Monte Landers, 19. Their bodies were found Sept. 24, 1983, in a rural Rusk County oilfield. Each had been shot at least twice - "execution style."
After several days of the defense attorneys for Romeo Pinkerton picking apart the states' witnesses and their testimony, the roles were reversed Friday.
Lisa Tanner, Texas Attorney General's Office and lead prosecutor, began her questioning of John Beene, DPS forensic scientist in Tyler, in regard to the KFC case, and asked if he was the custodian of records in the case with evidence submitted to his agency in Tyler.
Beene testified he received a large amount of evidence submissions over a period of time following the murders from multiple police officers from various agencies.
But it was a submission by Texas Ranger Stuart Dowell on Oct. 4, 1983, that held two crucial pieces of evidence in the state's case against Pinkerton and his cousin Darnell Hartsfield. The submission included a white box, one napkin and one small cup - each with what appeared to be blood on them.
Dowell requested that blood typing be done on the box, and Beene said he performed initial testing, and it indicated the blood was human. He then forwarded the evidence to the Garland DPS lab for additional testing.
The box and napkin were retested in 2001, and the prosecution says that DNA evidence found on the box implicates Hartsfield and Pinkerton.
Garland DPS Forensic Lab Director Manuel Valdez Jr. testified he received evidence in the KFC case, and that, in the fall of 1983, there was no such thing as DNA testing.
Valadez also said he performed tests on the box and napkin and determined it was human blood on the items, but it would be two decades before science could differentiate between more than just blood types.
Valdez testified that the box and napkin remained in his lab from the time they received the evidence in October 1983 until January 2002, when they were released to former FBI Agent George Kieny, who was working as a special investigator with the Rusk County Sheriff's Office in conjunction with the Attorney General's Office.
But it was a submission by Texas Ranger Stuart Dowell on Oct. 4, 1983, that held two crucial pieces of evidence in the state's case against Pinkerton and his cousin Darnell Hartsfield. The submission included a white box, one napkin and one small cup - each with what appeared to be blood on them.
Dowell requested that blood typing be done on the box, and Beene said he performed initial testing, and it indicated the blood was human. He then forwarded the evidence to the Garland DPS lab for additional testing.
The box and napkin were retested in 2001, and the prosecution says that DNA evidence found on the box implicates Hartsfield and Pinkerton.
Garland DPS Forensic Lab Director Manuel Valdez Jr. testified he received evidence in the KFC case, and that, in the fall of 1983, there was no such thing as DNA testing.
Valadez also said he performed tests on the box and napkin and determined it was human blood on the items, but it would be two decades before science could differentiate between more than just blood types.
Valdez testified that the box and napkin remained in his lab from the time they received the evidence in October 1983 until January 2002, when they were released to former FBI Agent George Kieny, who was working as a special investigator with the Rusk County Sheriff's Office in conjunction with the Attorney General's Office.
TWO GUNS OR THREE?
Glenn Johnson, a former Texas Department of Public Safety firearms forensic specialist, testified for the state under the questioning of Texas Attorney General prosecutor, Laura Popps.
Johnson said bullets from the case were submitted to him from those recovered from the bodies during autopsies, and from the dirt at the murder scene.
He testified he believed he personally examined about 50 different weapons in regards to the case.
"Of all the guns that were submitted to you over the years in this case, have you ever had a match?" Popps asked.
No, he replied.
He testified that there were 11 bullets, and definitely two and possibly three guns because there were six bullets of Federal Firearms ammunition, four bullets that were round nosed from Winchester Western and another type of bullet. He said he could not rule out the possibility that one gun was used to fire seven bullets, but that would have meant the revolver would have had to been reloaded.
Johnson said a .38-caliber special and a .357-caliber Magnum were used in the murders, and that three victims were shot with both guns.
Earlier in the week the prosecution told jurors in opening arguments that one victim was sexually assaulted and that they had collected DNA from the woman's uniform pants.
The trial is scheduled to resume Monday morning at the Bowie County Courthouse in New Boston. The trial was moved due to extensive media coverage through the years.
Johnson said bullets from the case were submitted to him from those recovered from the bodies during autopsies, and from the dirt at the murder scene.
He testified he believed he personally examined about 50 different weapons in regards to the case.
"Of all the guns that were submitted to you over the years in this case, have you ever had a match?" Popps asked.
No, he replied.
He testified that there were 11 bullets, and definitely two and possibly three guns because there were six bullets of Federal Firearms ammunition, four bullets that were round nosed from Winchester Western and another type of bullet. He said he could not rule out the possibility that one gun was used to fire seven bullets, but that would have meant the revolver would have had to been reloaded.
Johnson said a .38-caliber special and a .357-caliber Magnum were used in the murders, and that three victims were shot with both guns.
Earlier in the week the prosecution told jurors in opening arguments that one victim was sexually assaulted and that they had collected DNA from the woman's uniform pants.
The trial is scheduled to resume Monday morning at the Bowie County Courthouse in New Boston. The trial was moved due to extensive media coverage through the years.
FAQ
Search Forums
Log in
Register
