Kenneth Dewayne Williams
Overview
Kenneth Dewayne Williams was an Arkansas serial killer whose known crimes stretched from 1998 to 1999 and involved killings in Arkansas and Missouri. His cases included robbery, kidnapping, attempted murder, prison escape, and multiple murders. Williams was first sent to prison for the murder of Dominique “Nikki” Hurd, a University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff student, but later escaped from the Cummins Unit and killed Cecil Boren, a retired prison warden and farmer. During his flight from police, he also caused the death of Michael Greenwood in Missouri. Years later, Williams admitted that he had also killed Jerrell Jenkins on the same day Hurd was murdered.
Early Background
Kenneth Dewayne Williams was born on February 23, 1979, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. His early life was marked by instability, violence, and juvenile crime. Before the murders for which he became known, Williams had already been in trouble with the law and had served time in prison. He was released from prison in April 1998, only months before the first known killings connected to him. By the end of 1998, Williams had become involved in a series of violent crimes that would permanently alter the lives of several families and eventually place him on Arkansas death row.
Victims
- Jerrell Jenkins - Died December 13, 1998, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Jenkins was 36 years old. Williams later confessed that he robbed Jenkins and shot him twice in the chest. Jenkins’ body was discovered in a ditch by a child on the way to school. The case remained unsolved until Williams admitted responsibility in 2005.
- Dominique “Nikki” Hurd - Died December 13, 1998, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Hurd was 19 years old and a University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff pre-med student and cheerleader. Williams abducted Hurd and her boyfriend, Peter Robertson, from a parking lot, robbed them, forced Robertson to withdraw money from an ATM, and later shot both victims. Hurd died from a gunshot wound to the head. Robertson survived and was able to contact police.
- Cecil Boren - Died October 3, 1999, near the Cummins Unit in Lincoln County, Arkansas. Boren was 57 years old, a farmer, and a retired prison warden. After escaping from prison, Williams went to Boren’s property, stole a firearm, shot Boren, stole items from the home, changed into some of Boren’s clothing, and fled in Boren’s truck.
- Michael Greenwood - Died October 3, 1999, in Missouri. Greenwood was 24 years old and was driving a water-delivery truck when Williams, fleeing police in Cecil Boren’s stolen truck, crashed into him during a high-speed chase. Greenwood was killed in the collision.
The Murder of Dominique “Nikki” Hurd
On December 13, 1998, Williams approached Dominique “Nikki” Hurd and her boyfriend, Peter Robertson, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The couple had been taking photographs when Williams appeared and offered to take a picture for them. Instead, he produced a revolver and forced them into their vehicle. Williams robbed them of money, jewelry, and credit cards, then made Robertson drive to an ATM to withdraw more cash.
Williams continued directing the couple through different locations, repeatedly controlling their movement and keeping them under threat. Eventually, he forced them out of the vehicle near a secluded area. He shot both Hurd and Robertson before fleeing in the vehicle. Hurd died from a gunshot wound to the head. Robertson survived despite being shot and later managed to get help, giving investigators critical information that connected Williams to the attack.
The Killing of Jerrell Jenkins
For years, the murder of Jerrell Jenkins was not publicly tied to Williams. Jenkins, 36, was killed in Pine Bluff on December 13, 1998, the same day as Dominique Hurd. His body was found in a ditch, and the killing remained unsolved while Williams was prosecuted and imprisoned for the Hurd case. In 2005, while already on death row, Williams confessed in writing that he had killed Jenkins.
Williams admitted that he robbed Jenkins and shot him twice in the chest with a .357 caliber handgun. His confession brought a resolution to a case that had remained unanswered for Jenkins’ family and the Pine Bluff community. Williams later pleaded guilty to Jenkins’ murder and received an additional life sentence.
Conviction for the Hurd Case
Williams was charged with capital murder, attempted capital murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery, theft, and arson after the attack on Hurd and Robertson. He was convicted for the crimes connected to Dominique Hurd’s death and Peter Robertson’s shooting. Although prosecutors sought the death penalty, the jury sentenced Williams to life in prison without parole for the Hurd murder. He was sent to the Cummins Unit in Arkansas to serve that sentence.
Escape from the Cummins Unit
On October 3, 1999, less than a month after receiving a life sentence, Williams escaped from the Cummins Unit. He hid inside a large barrel used for pig slop and was carried outside the prison grounds. Once outside, he fled the area on foot. His escape quickly became the beginning of another deadly crime spree.
After leaving the prison grounds, Williams made his way to the property of Cecil Boren, a retired prison warden who lived near the Cummins Unit. Boren was at home while his wife was away at church. Williams armed himself with a gun from the property and shot Boren. He then took valuables, changed clothes, stole Boren’s truck, and fled north toward Missouri.
The Murder of Cecil Boren
Cecil Boren was killed on October 3, 1999, shortly after Williams escaped from prison. Boren was 57 years old and had once worked as a prison warden, making the circumstances especially grim because Williams had just escaped from the nearby correctional facility. Williams shot Boren multiple times, dragged his body inside, stole weapons and personal property, and used Boren’s truck to continue his flight.
The killing of Boren became the case for which Williams was sentenced to death. Prosecutors described the murder as a violent act committed by an escaped inmate who had already been given a life sentence for killing Dominique Hurd. Williams was convicted of Boren’s murder in 2000 and sentenced to death on August 30, 2000.
The Death of Michael Greenwood
After killing Cecil Boren, Williams fled in Boren’s stolen truck and crossed into Missouri. Law enforcement pursued him, and the chase ended in a deadly crash. Williams collided with a water-delivery truck driven by 24-year-old Michael Greenwood. Greenwood was killed in the crash.
Although Greenwood’s death happened during a police chase rather than by a direct shooting, it was part of the same chain of events that began with Williams’ prison escape and the murder of Cecil Boren. Greenwood’s family later became part of the broader public discussion surrounding Williams’ execution, with some relatives expressing forgiveness while still acknowledging the devastating loss caused by Williams’ actions.
Later Confession and Additional Sentence
In 2005, Williams confessed to the murder of Jerrell Jenkins. He wrote that he had killed Jenkins on the same day that Dominique Hurd was murdered. The confession added another confirmed victim to Williams’ record and showed that his violence on December 13, 1998, had not been limited to the abduction and shooting of Hurd and Robertson.
Williams pleaded guilty in the Jenkins case and received another life sentence. By that time, he was already under a death sentence for the murder of Cecil Boren. His confession gave Jenkins’ family an answer to the question of who killed him, but it also confirmed the broader pattern of Williams’ crimes across Arkansas and Missouri.
Execution
Kenneth Dewayne Williams was executed by lethal injection at the Cummins Unit in Arkansas on April 27, 2017. He was 38 years old. His execution came during a controversial period in which Arkansas scheduled multiple executions close together because one of the state’s lethal-injection drugs was nearing expiration. Williams was the fourth Arkansas inmate executed within eight days.
Before his execution, Williams apologized to the families of Dominique Hurd, Jerrell Jenkins, Cecil Boren, and Michael Greenwood. He said his crimes were senseless and inexcusable and asked for forgiveness. His execution closed the legal proceedings against him, but the impact of his crimes remained with the families of the victims and the communities where the killings occurred.
