• Criminal Law

Find a Lawyer in Your State

Need Help?

Submit your claim details for a free, no obligation case review.

Get Started:

Darnell Hartsfield, a 47-year old Texan, was recently convicted on five counts of murder for slayings that occurred at an East Texas Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1983. After the two weeks it took to present both sides of this case, it took less than two hours for the jury to return five guilty counts against Hartsfield.

This marks the second conviction in these slayings, as Romeo Pinkerton – Hartsfield's cousin – pled guilty to all five murder charges halfway through his trial last year.

With the support of the victims' families, Texas prosecutors chose not to pursue the death penalty for both Hartsfield and Pinkerton. Instead, these two convicts are both serving five consecutive life sentences for their roles in the murders.

Facts of the Case

Until Pinkerton and Hartsfield's convictions, these KFC murders that took place Sept. 23, 1983 - over 25 years ago – were among the longest unsolved cases of mass killings in Texas. A number of bogus leads, a complicated crime scene and lack of appropriate DNA testing were among some of the reasons that this case remained unsolved for so long.

On that fateful day, four KFC employees and a friend were taken hostage following the robbery of this fast food restaurant. The employees – David Maxwell, 20, Joey Johnson, 20, Mary Tyler, 37, and Opie Ann Hughes, 39, – along with the friend, Monte Landers, 19, were driven to a desolate location approximately 15 miles from the KFC where they were all fatally shot. All five bodies were found the following morning.

Both Pinkerton and Hartsfield were linked to the murders through DNA evidence found at the crime scene. Interestingly enough, DNA evidence from a third unknown individual was also found at the site of the shootings. Investigators and prosecutors are still trying to track down the identity of the third person; however, it is still unknown whether or not he/she played a role in these brutal murders.

(Source: FOX News)

Have you been charged with a crime? If so, contact us today to talk to an experienced professional who will provide you with the legal support you need to get your charges reduced, if not dropped altogether.