Kenneth Granviel

Serial Killer

Kenneth Granviel: The Fort Worth Serial Killer

Overview

Kenneth Granviel was an American serial killer and rapist responsible for seven confirmed murders in Fort Worth, Texas, during 1974 and 1975. His crimes included the killing of five members of one family during a prolonged attack at an apartment complex and the murders of two women several months later. Granviel eventually confessed to all seven killings as well as multiple sexual assaults. He was convicted of capital murder, sentenced to death, and executed by lethal injection in Texas on February 27, 1996.

The Riverside Village Murders

Granviel's first confirmed series of murders occurred late on October 7, 1974, at the Riverside Village apartment complex in Fort Worth. Court records establish that Granviel left work at approximately 8:00 p.m. and later drove through the apartment complex where the McClendon family lived. He had known members of the family for several years. At approximately 10:00 p.m., he approached their apartment and was invited inside by Laura McClendon. Laura was in the apartment with her young son, Steven. After initially asking for a glass of water, Granviel approached Laura from behind with a knife. He forced Laura and Steven into a bedroom, locked the apartment door, and closed the curtains. Granviel then ordered Laura to restrain her son with telephone cord. He tore a bedsheet into strips and used the material to bind and gag Laura and Steven. The situation became more dangerous when Martha McClendon arrived with her young daughter, Natasha, accompanied by Linda McClendon. Granviel concealed Laura and Steven beneath a bedspread before confronting the newly arrived family members. He threatened Linda with the knife and forced her to lie on the bed. Martha was also overpowered, restrained, and brought into the room. Granviel eventually had all five victims under his control. Granviel separated Laura from the others and sexually assaulted her. During the attack, Steven began crying. Granviel placed the child in a closet and at one point gave him asthma medication after Laura told him that Steven needed it. Later, when Steven cried again, Granviel stabbed him repeatedly. The knife broke during the attack, forcing Granviel to obtain another knife from the kitchen. Granviel also sexually assaulted Martha. According to the evidence presented in court, Linda was no longer breathing when Granviel returned to the bedroom where she had been restrained, but he nevertheless stabbed her. Natasha began crying and shouting. Granviel attacked the two-year-old child with the knife, stabbing her repeatedly. The killing of Natasha would later become the specific capital murder for which Granviel received his death sentence. Granviel eventually stabbed Martha and Laura as well. Before leaving the apartment, he searched through the women's purses and took money. Laura, Linda, Martha, Natasha, and Steven all died from the violence inflicted upon them. Contemporary reports and court records place the murders on October 7, 1974, although some later summaries have used October 8 because the crime unfolded late at night and the victims were discovered afterward. ...

Confirmed Victims: (7)

Laura McClendon Age: (21), Date of Death: 1974-10-08

Kenneth Granviel - Wikipedia