The Many Faces of Kenneth Allen McDuff

Some images from The Bad Boy From Rosebud: The Murderous Life of Kenneth Allen McDuff

Bad Boy, a serial killer named Kenneth Allen McDuff, was executed on November 17, 1998. McDuff’s notoriety results not just from the frightening nature of his crimes, but also from the journey that returned him to death row AFTER having been paroled from the first death sentence he received for murders he committed in 1966. McDuff is the only convicted killer in American history to have been assigned two different death row numbers and sentenced to two different forms of execution by three different juries. McDuff’s parole in 1989 made it possible for him to murder again, which in turn resulted in one of the largest prison construction projects in the history of the free world.

• McDuff's childhood;
• The unbelievable sub-culture of drugs, prostitution and violence in which he flourished;
• The horrifying crimes he committed;
• The extraordinary cooperation of at least one dozen law enforcement agencies engaged in a nationwide manhunt to arrest him;
• His unwitting fashioning of an "impossible" political coalition to restructure the criminal justice system
• The dramatic search for and recovery of missing victims
• A minute-by-minute account of his execution on November 17, 1998

Mug shot six years after the United States Supreme Court overturned all death penalties in the case of Furman v Georgia. Only 11 years later McDuff would be paroled from a prison where he was once on Death Row. He is believed to be the only person in American History to have ever had two different death row numbers.

During a live lineup for a witness to the abduction of Colleen Reed, McDuff refused to shave and get a haircut in an obvious attempt to confuse the witness. The witness positively identified McDuff anyway.

Kenneth McDuff had no allegiance to any group. This photo was taken by the Waco Police Department when McDuff offered his services as a snitch. Undoubtedly, he would have then demanded "protection" money from the drug dealers he promised to turn in. The Waco Police Department wisely declined his offer.

In March of 1998, Judge George Allen set an execution date as McDuff sat in silence and while the families of victims looked on. After one stay, Kenneth McDuff was executed in Huntsville on November 17, 1998.

The most serious of McDuff's parole violations took place in his hometown of Rosebud, Texas, where he made "terroristic threats" to several African-American teenagers. McDuff was sent back to prison exactly one year after he had been set free, but only for a few weeks. His parole was reinstated by an administrator of the Board of Pardons and Paroles.

After being paroled, McDuff had many run-ins with the law, all of which were violations of his parole, which should have sent him back to prison. During a period in which McDuff committed a number of murders, he was on probation and parole.

Security around the federal courthouse during McDuff's arraignment was as tight as anything ever seen in the history of Waco. The security, however, was to protect McDuff from the very large crowds assembled outside of the courthouse and airport.

Kenneth Allen McDuff is buried in the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery, also known as "Peckerwood Hill," in Huntsville, Texas. Prisoners buried there are those without family choosing to claim their remains. The 11-17-98 refers to his execution date. The "X" means he was executed by the State of Texas, and the 999055 was his death row number.

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