Mark Dunman, a 15-year-old male, tragically lost his life on August 6, 1966, in what became known as the "Broomstick Murders." Mark was visiting his cousin, Robert Brand, in Texas when he, Robert and Robert’s girlfriend, Edna Louise Sullivan were abducted by Kenneth Allen McDuff and his accomplice, Roy Green. The teenagers were at a baseball field when McDuff, a 20-year-old known for his violent tendencies, forced them into the trunk of their car at gunpoint.
Green followed in McDuff’s vehicle as they drove to a secluded area.
Upon arrival, McDuff removed Edna from the trunk and proceeded to execute Robert and Mark by firing six shots into the trunk of the car. Edna was then subjected to repeated sexual assaults before McDuff strangled her using a broomstick. Her body was later discarded in a field. The following day, Roy Green turned himself in, leading to McDuff’s arrest. McDuff was convicted and sentenced to death, while Green received an 11-year sentence for his role in the crime. However, McDuff’s death sentence was later commuted to life in prison due to changes in the legal system, and he was eventually paroled in 1989.
McDuff’s release proved disastrous, as he resumed his killing spree, targeting multiple victims across Texas. He was finally apprehended again in 1992 and sentenced to death once more. On November 17, 1998, McDuff was executed by lethal injection. His crimes remain among the most notorious in Texas history, and his case led to significant reforms in the state’s parole system.
