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.
...Read More
