Inside The Horrific Crime Of Kendall Francois: The Serial Killer Who Preyed On Sex Workers

Kendall Francois was an American serial killer who murdered eight women in Poughkeepsie, New York, between 1996 and 1998. He was a notorious killer who managed to evade detection for years and became one of the most infamous criminals in the state's history.

Early Life of Kendall Francois

Kendall Francois was born on July 26, 1971, in Poughkeepsie, New York. Despite his towering stature, Kendall Francois chose not to pursue sports after graduating from high school in 1989. Instead, he joined the U.S. Army and completed Basic Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1990. He later returned home and enrolled at Duchess County Community College in 1993.

The Murders of Kendall Francois

The Town of Lloyd Police Department in Ulster County, New York, received a report of Wendy Meyers' disappearance in October 1996. Wendy, who was 30 years old at the time, was a white female with hazel eyes, short brown hair, and a slim build.

On October 24, 1996, Francois solicited her for sex at the Valley Rest Motel in Highland, a small town situated near the banks of the Hudson River south of Kingston, and then proceeded to grab her throat and crush it, ultimately leaving her to decompose in his decrepit attic.

Patricia Barone reported her 29-year-old daughter, Gina Barone, missing in December 1996. Gina was described as having a small build, brown hair, and a distinctive eagle tattoo on her back.

Francois had picked up the sex worker and parked his 1994 red Subaru on a side street along Route 9. He then proceeded to strangle her so violently that the bone in her neck broke. Her body was later discovered in his residence, next to the body of Wendy Meyers.

Shortly after the murders of Wendy Meyers and Gina Barone, Francois added Cathy Marsh, who was pregnant at the time, to his list of victims. Kathleen Hurley went missing in January 1997, followed by Mary Healy Giaccone in November of the same year. Then, in June 1998, Sandra Jean French, a mother of three, also disappeared.

Investigation and Arrest

In the summer of 1998, the situation began to unravel for the Poughkeepsie Killer. In August, he murdered two more women, 34-year-old Audrey Pugliese and 25-year-old Catina Newmaster. However, authorities were able to find a clue - Newmaster had worked in the same downtown area as Mary Healy Giaccone, which prompted the police to increase their patrols in the area.

On September 1, 1998, Kendall Francois was in the process of strangling a prostitute whom he had abducted when she managed to break free and escape from his residence at 99 Fulton Avenue, which was located just a short distance from Vassar College.

Later that same day, the City of Poughkeepsie Police Detective Skip Mannain and Town of Poughkeepsie Police Detective Bob McCready were sitting in their unmarked car, preparing to distribute flyers seeking information regarding the disappearance of Catina Newmaster.

As they pulled into a gas station, Deborah Lownsdale approached their vehicle and informed them that a woman had just been assaulted and was walking away. The detectives quickly located the woman and brought her to the police station, where she filed a complaint against Francois.

The suspect ultimately confessed to the murder of Catina Newmaster without much prodding. However, the police were in for an even bigger revelation.

Within an hour of the suspect's confession, a body was discovered, and a subsequent search of his residence led to the recovery of eight corpses, five of which were found in the attic and three in the basement. The house was filled with garbage and emanated a putrid odor that overpowered nearby spectators.

What was most disturbing was that his parents and sister also lived in the same house, yet they had either ignored the putrid stench emanating from the attic or were too afraid to investigate its source.

Seven of the victims were identified as the previously missing women, while the eighth victim was a woman from New Rochelle who was never reported missing. The only woman who remained missing was mostly ruled out as a possible victim because she was black, whereas all of Francois' victims were white and found inside his home.

Trial and Conviction

Kendall Francois was indicted on eight counts of murder and pleaded guilty, which allowed him to avoid a possible death sentence. Ironically, Francois later contracted AIDS, possibly from one of his victims.

He was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Although some suspected that his family may have had knowledge of his crimes, they adamantly denied any such knowledge. Apparently, the overwhelming stench of garbage in the house helped to mask the odor of the decomposing bodies, thus keeping Francois' family unaware of his heinous activities.