Ronald Keith Allridge

Serial Killer

Ronald Keith Allridge: Fort Worth Serial Killer and Armed Robber

Ronald Keith Allridge was an American murderer and serial offender whose violent history stretched from a fatal high-school shooting in 1976 to a series of robberies and killings in Fort Worth, Texas, during the first months of 1985. Allridge personally killed at least three people and was an accomplice in a fourth homicide committed by his younger brother, James Vernon Allridge III. His crimes were dominated by firearms, robbery, and sudden violence against people who posed little or no physical threat to him. The 1985 crimes were part of a concentrated robbery spree targeting restaurants, convenience stores, and other businesses around Fort Worth. Ronald and James Allridge sometimes operated with brothers Clarence and Milton Jarmon. Evidence introduced during Ronald's capital-murder proceedings showed that he admitted participating in numerous armed robberies. The spree ended after the March 25, 1985, murder of Carla McMillen Otto at a Whataburger, where a witness recognized Ronald and provided investigators with the identification that led to his arrest.

Early Life and the 1976 School Murder

Ronald Keith Allridge was born on September 27, 1960, in West Germany, where his father was stationed with the United States military. His family later returned to the United States and settled in Fort Worth. Ronald attended O.D. Wyatt High School, where acquaintances remembered him as comparatively quiet. By the age of 15, however, he had begun displaying increasingly dangerous behavior involving firearms. In March 1976, Allridge stole several watches, three guns, and ammunition from a Montgomery Ward store. He subsequently brought one of the stolen weapons to school and reportedly showed it to other students while talking about shooting someone. The threats became reality on April 12, 1976. At O.D. Wyatt High School in Fort Worth, Allridge confronted 15-year-old Lorenzo Kneeland near a boys' restroom. In front of other students, Allridge fired several shots, fatally wounding Kneeland. Another 15-year-old student, James Christian, was also struck by gunfire but survived. Accounts of the motive varied, with reports describing earlier disagreements between Allridge and Kneeland, but no single explanation was conclusively established. Police arrested Allridge after the shooting while he was walking along Old Mansfield Highway with the firearm still in his possession. During the juvenile proceedings that followed, conflicting testimony was presented concerning his mental condition. He was eventually certified to be prosecuted as an adult. In 1977, Allridge pleaded guilty to murder and received a 10-year prison sentence. Allridge did not serve the full sentence. Texas prison records show that he was discharged in June 1983. After returning to Fort Worth, he obtained employment, including work in the restaurant business. Within less than two years of his release, however, he was involved in an escalating series of armed robberies that would leave several more people dead.

The Beginning of the 1985 Robbery Spree

By early 1985, Ronald Allridge and his younger brother James were committing robberies around Fort Worth. They targeted businesses where employees could be isolated late at night, particularly restaurants and convenience stores. Ronald's later statement to authorities connected him to numerous robberies, and evidence of thirteen armed robberies was discussed during the punishment phase of his capital-murder trial. The robberies included attacks on restaurants, food stores, and convenience businesses. Some were committed by Ronald alone or with James, while others involved Clarence and Milton Jarmon. Although most victims of the robberies survived, the group's willingness to use firearms made each encounter potentially lethal. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Buddy Joe Webster Age: (19), Date of Death: 1985-01-13

Survivors:

James Christian , Date of Attack: 1976-04-12

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