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Life of Kendall Francois, the Serial KillerKendall Francois from Poughkeepsie, New York is a serial killer who was charged and convicted of killing at least eight (8) women .He was born on the 26th day of July, 1971. He schooled at Arlington High School, where he played football for the school team upto1989 when graduated. Later, he joined the Army training at Oklahoma 1990.Along the street he was also unofficially referred to as “Stinky” along the streets. Kendall Francois lived with his two parents and younger sister. His family denied being aware of the bizarre killings. It was not understood how Francois’ parents could not be unaware what was going on more so his mother who a nurse at a Psychiatric Center was in Poughkeepsie.

In 1996 the police and other security organs became concerned about series of cases of females reported missing, around the month of October, a middle aged woman called Wendy Meyers was reported missing to a Police station near the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie, in the county of ulster, New York City. According to the police report she was a white slim bodied female with short hair. Wendy was seen last inside the Rest Valley Motel at Lloyd.

In the month of December the same year, Patricia Barona reported that her daughter, Gina Barone aged 29, was missing. She described Gina Barone as white small build female with brown hair and a tattoo on her back. Gina was last seen in Poughkeepsie on November 29, 1996 and was having a heated quarrel with a man who was not identified by the witness.

Kathleen Hurley, 47, went missing on January 1997. According to the source she was seen in a company of a man along Main Street in Poughkeepsie. Kathleen was also white and small build. Following the disappearance of Kathleen Hurley, an extensive investigation was conducted and there was a very close link between Francois and the disappearances reported. This was after the reported by the area prostitutes that he use threats during sex. Francois’ home was placed under surveillance following links that connected him to the missing people.

Poughkeepsie Police decided to call in the F.B.I for assistance. The operations of theF.B.I personnel were made difficult by the circumstances surrounding the case. All these cases did not have a crime scene: in order to establish the identity of any suspect, they required scene of crime. On June 1998, Sandra Jean, a mother of three, aged 51, disappeared. According to her daughter, her car was discovered several blocks from Francois’ place. Catina Newsmaster of similar physical properties as the other women went missing in the same year under similar circumstances.

Kendall Francois had abducted a prostitute on September 1, 1998.He was just about to strangle her when she fled from his home. The prostitute who had fled from Francois house filed an assault case against him with Poughkeepsie Police.

The police went to Francois home to talk to him about the reported attack by the prostitute. He accompanied them to the police station to discuss the matter. François was grilled for several hours where he made confession regarding the missing women. The police obtained a search warrant and a team of detectives, police officers and crime scene assessors searched the home of Francois and discovered several bodies of his victims identified as Wendy Meyers (30), Gina Barona (29), Catherine Marsh (31), Kathleen Hurley (47), Mary Giaccone (29), Jean French (51), Audrey Pugliese (34) and Catina Newmaster (25)

On September 9, Francois appeared before a New York Court and was charged with the killing of Catina Newmaster. He took a “not guilty” plea. A month later, eight counts of murder of first degree and one second degree murder were added to the first case.

Francois attorneys decided to plead guilty on 23rd of December so as to avoid full trial by judges. The court decided that the guilty plea was unacceptable but the court of appeal upheld Francois’ plea of guilty in a March 2000 ruling. Judge Thomas Dolan gave Kendall Francois a life imprisonment. Today he is detained in Attica Correctional Facilities.