Kendall Francois

Infobox Serial Killer
name=Kendall Francois


caption=Kendall Francois
birthname=
alias=
birth=July 26, 1971
location=New York
death=
cause=
victims=8-10
country=U.S.
states=New York
beginyear=1996
endyear=1998
apprehended=1998, Life in Prison without parole

Kendall Francois (born July 26, 1971) is a serial killer from Poughkeepsie, New York, convicted of killing eight known prostitutes, from 1996 to 1998. [ [http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/francois/disappeared_1.html CrimeLibrary.com/Serial Killers/Sexual Predators/Kendall Francois: The Disappeared ] ] He is currently serving life in prison for his crimes.

Timeline

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.

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 a man.

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.

January 1997 - City of Poughkeepsie Police, following an extensive investigation, placed Francois' home at 99 Fulton Street under surveillance. Area prostitutes reported that he was notoriously rough during sex.

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.

April 1997 - 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.

November 1997 - Mary Healey Giaccone, 29 years old, 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 give her the bad news. But police soon discovered that she was actually last seen alive in February 1997 on the same Poughkeepsie streets as some of the others. Like the others, Giaccone was small, 5’4” and weighed 110 lbs.

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 was of the same build and coloring as most of them.

September 1, 1998 - Kendall Francois was strangling an abducted prostitute when she became free and fled his 99 Fulton Avenue home. 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, a man came up to the car and told them that a girl, who was now walking away, said that she was just assaulted. Quickly, the detectives located the girl, 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 Kendall 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 Catina Newmaster. A search warrant was drawn up and signed. Then, on September 2, 1998, shortly after midnight, a team of detectives, the district attorney, EMS crews, crime scene processors, and an army of cops searched 99 Fulton Avenue and discovered the many bodies of Francois' victims.

Trial and Sentence

Two days after his arrest, Francois was indicted for the murder of Catina Newmaster. On 9 September he appeared in court, and a plea of Not Guilty was entered on his behalf. A month later, 13 October, 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's attorneys chose to plead guilty on 23 December, before the D.A. had decided whether to seek the death penalty, thus avoiding a trial by jury and therefore the possibility of death.

On 11 February, 1999, the Dutchess County Court ruled that the guilty plea could not be accepted, because the prosecution had not finished filing their case, in that they had not indicated at the time of Francois's changed plea whether or not they would seek death. The defense attorneys immediately appealed the ruling, and the case was heard at the New York Court of Appeals on 31 March, 2000. The Court of Appeals ruled that it was not permissible for a defendant to enter a plea before the D.A. filed on his intention to pursue the death penalty.

Francois was subsequently allowed to plead guilty to the murder charge, and was sentenced on 7 August, 2000, to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

References

External links

* [http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/francois/disappeared_1.html CourtTV's Crime Library - Kendall Francois: The Disappeared]

Wiki - The_Poughkeepsie_Tapes

1 http://www.cinematical.com/2007/05/12/tribeca-interview-john-dowdle-director-the-poughkeepsie-tape/