KFC Victim's Families: 'We’re Glad We’re Finally Moving On'
(Staff Photo by Tom Turner)
Kimberley Miller holds a photograph of her mother Mary Tyler outside of the in the Rusk County Courthouse. Tyler was one of five victims abducted from a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant and later killed out side of Kilgore Texas in 1983.
By MEGAN MIDDLETON
Staff Writer
HENDERSON — The son of one of the five victims in the 1983 Kentucky Fried Chicken slayings said he felt a “sense of relief” Monday after one of the men accused pleaded guilty. But 23-year-old David Maxwell II, who never got to meet his father, said, “It’s hard to be happy.”
“After what happened, I wanted a little more to come of it, but we are relieved,” Maxwell said after the court proceedings and victim impact statements. “We’re as happy as we can be with the outcome. We’re glad we’re finally moving on and hopefully this will help us all finish moving on.”
Maxwell, who was not yet born when his father, David Maxwell, was killed, said he struggles with anger and bitterness.
“Now, knowing kind of what happened, maybe I can move past that. I think a lot of the anger comes from the fact that there was nothing for so long,” he said. “Every time you thought you were at that point, you weren’t.”
Staff Writer
HENDERSON — The son of one of the five victims in the 1983 Kentucky Fried Chicken slayings said he felt a “sense of relief” Monday after one of the men accused pleaded guilty. But 23-year-old David Maxwell II, who never got to meet his father, said, “It’s hard to be happy.”
“After what happened, I wanted a little more to come of it, but we are relieved,” Maxwell said after the court proceedings and victim impact statements. “We’re as happy as we can be with the outcome. We’re glad we’re finally moving on and hopefully this will help us all finish moving on.”
Maxwell, who was not yet born when his father, David Maxwell, was killed, said he struggles with anger and bitterness.
“Now, knowing kind of what happened, maybe I can move past that. I think a lot of the anger comes from the fact that there was nothing for so long,” he said. “Every time you thought you were at that point, you weren’t.”
Maxwell said that even though the killings happened more than 20 years ago, “… we all still remember, and we wanted to stay here until the end to make sure that justice was served — as much as it could be,” he said.
To look at and speak to the defendant, Romeo Pinkerton, during the victim impact statements Monday was tough, Maxwell said.
“I thought I was going to get up there and be able to look at him the whole time. When you’re face to face with the person involved with killing a family member, it’s almost impossible to look at him, at least for me,” he said. “I wanted to get up there and let him know what he had taken from our family, but also that maybe … somehow he could find his way to God.”
Lana Dunkerley, David Maxwell’s widow, after the court proceedings said it was a relief to address Pinkerton during the victim impact statements.
“I told him that every day (during the trial) I kept looking at him to see if there was any good in him at all. I kept looking and I kept hoping for that, and the only thing I could think of is, at least he owned this …,” she said. “The fact that he owned it said a lot to me, and I’m good with that. I never expected them (the defendants) to apologize, but I did think, if you’re going to do it, own it and say you did it, so that I’ll know who you are, and I was thankful for that.”
She said she does not care why he pleaded guilty — “I’m just glad he did it.”
Mrs. Dunkerley and Kathy Hamilton, David Maxwell’s sister, said Pinkerton did look at them while they were speaking to him during the victim impact statements.
“I think at some point when he’s all by himself and alone and it’s quiet, he’ll hear it — he’ll hear us,” Mrs. Dunkerley said.
Ms. Hamilton said outside the courthouse Monday of Pinkerton and his pleading guilty, “I know he values life because he saved his own today.”
“Twenty four years with no answers — today we got a few,” Ms. Hamilton said. “But you can’t really call that justice. But we are appreciative to Judge (Clay) Gossett, the investigators, Lisa Tanner, the Attorney General’s office — they have been wonderful.”
When asked what it feels like to get to this point, Mrs. Dunkerley, who lost her new husband when she was just 18, said, “We’re exhausted.”
“It took 24 years, and I don’t know why it took 24 years, but I hope I’ve grown up and I hope I made David and his family proud,” she said. “I hope David’s really proud.
“When we got married, they said ‘til death do you part — and he died. But I didn’t. Until it was over, I just wanted to say I finished it.”
She said she feels like she got a step closer to doing that after the proceedings Monday.
“I’m really thankful for this day.”
She said she and David had dated nine months, and had been married nine months when he died.
Standing outside the courthouse Monday evening, Mrs. Dunkerley touched her hand, pointing out that she had been wearing their wedding ring.
“It’s important,” she said.
Maxwell’s family members expressed their appreciation to the Rusk County District Attorney’s Office, as well as James Stroud, a former sheriff in Rusk County; Lisa Tanner, a prosecutor with the Texas Attorney General’s office and Karen Martin, a victims assistance official with the Attorney General’s Office.
To look at and speak to the defendant, Romeo Pinkerton, during the victim impact statements Monday was tough, Maxwell said.
“I thought I was going to get up there and be able to look at him the whole time. When you’re face to face with the person involved with killing a family member, it’s almost impossible to look at him, at least for me,” he said. “I wanted to get up there and let him know what he had taken from our family, but also that maybe … somehow he could find his way to God.”
Lana Dunkerley, David Maxwell’s widow, after the court proceedings said it was a relief to address Pinkerton during the victim impact statements.
“I told him that every day (during the trial) I kept looking at him to see if there was any good in him at all. I kept looking and I kept hoping for that, and the only thing I could think of is, at least he owned this …,” she said. “The fact that he owned it said a lot to me, and I’m good with that. I never expected them (the defendants) to apologize, but I did think, if you’re going to do it, own it and say you did it, so that I’ll know who you are, and I was thankful for that.”
She said she does not care why he pleaded guilty — “I’m just glad he did it.”
Mrs. Dunkerley and Kathy Hamilton, David Maxwell’s sister, said Pinkerton did look at them while they were speaking to him during the victim impact statements.
“I think at some point when he’s all by himself and alone and it’s quiet, he’ll hear it — he’ll hear us,” Mrs. Dunkerley said.
Ms. Hamilton said outside the courthouse Monday of Pinkerton and his pleading guilty, “I know he values life because he saved his own today.”
“Twenty four years with no answers — today we got a few,” Ms. Hamilton said. “But you can’t really call that justice. But we are appreciative to Judge (Clay) Gossett, the investigators, Lisa Tanner, the Attorney General’s office — they have been wonderful.”
When asked what it feels like to get to this point, Mrs. Dunkerley, who lost her new husband when she was just 18, said, “We’re exhausted.”
“It took 24 years, and I don’t know why it took 24 years, but I hope I’ve grown up and I hope I made David and his family proud,” she said. “I hope David’s really proud.
“When we got married, they said ‘til death do you part — and he died. But I didn’t. Until it was over, I just wanted to say I finished it.”
She said she feels like she got a step closer to doing that after the proceedings Monday.
“I’m really thankful for this day.”
She said she and David had dated nine months, and had been married nine months when he died.
Standing outside the courthouse Monday evening, Mrs. Dunkerley touched her hand, pointing out that she had been wearing their wedding ring.
“It’s important,” she said.
Maxwell’s family members expressed their appreciation to the Rusk County District Attorney’s Office, as well as James Stroud, a former sheriff in Rusk County; Lisa Tanner, a prosecutor with the Texas Attorney General’s office and Karen Martin, a victims assistance official with the Attorney General’s Office.
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