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Bad Boy from Rosebud: The Murderous Life of Kenneth Allen McDuff
In October of 1989, the State of Texas set Kenneth Allen McDuff, the Broomstick Murderer, free. It was not a trial error, or a ruling by some judge. McDuff was paroled.
All of a sudden fear returned. Calls came in from housewives afraid to leave their kids by themselves during broad daylight. Schools took precautions, and bus drivers were warned to be on the alert for the Bad Boy from Rosebud. Thirty years after he had dropped out of school, Kenneth McDuff was still scaring school children and giving principals trouble.
By choosing to murder again while on parole, McDuff became the architect of an extraordinarily intolerant atmosphere in Texas. He brought about the restructuring of the third largest criminal justice system in the United States. The spasm of prison construction and parole reforms collectively called the “McDuff Rules,” resulted from anenormous display of anger vented towards the system that allowed McDuff to kill, and kill again.
Bad Boy from Rosebud is a chilling account of the life of one of the most heartless and brutal serial killers in American history. Drawing from dozens of interviews, a careful review of primary documents, and recounting his personal involvement with law enforcement officers in efforts to recover victims, Gary M. Lavergne goes beyond horror into an analysis of the unbelievable subculture in which McDuff lived. Equally compelling are the lives of remarkable law enforcement officers determined to bring McDuff to justice, and their seven-year search for his victims.
All of a sudden fear returned. Calls came in from housewives afraid to leave their kids by themselves during broad daylight. Schools took precautions, and bus drivers were warned to be on the alert for the Bad Boy from Rosebud. Thirty years after he had dropped out of school, Kenneth McDuff was still scaring school children and giving principals trouble.
By choosing to murder again while on parole, McDuff became the architect of an extraordinarily intolerant atmosphere in Texas. He brought about the restructuring of the third largest criminal justice system in the United States. The spasm of prison construction and parole reforms collectively called the “McDuff Rules,” resulted from anenormous display of anger vented towards the system that allowed McDuff to kill, and kill again.
Bad Boy from Rosebud is a chilling account of the life of one of the most heartless and brutal serial killers in American history. Drawing from dozens of interviews, a careful review of primary documents, and recounting his personal involvement with law enforcement officers in efforts to recover victims, Gary M. Lavergne goes beyond horror into an analysis of the unbelievable subculture in which McDuff lived. Equally compelling are the lives of remarkable law enforcement officers determined to bring McDuff to justice, and their seven-year search for his victims.
384 pages, Paperback
First published July 15, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 5, 2009
Finished reading last night. (January 4th) This was the second time i read this book. It is such a shocking story. This time i read it together with another book about this serial killer: No Remorse by Bob Stewart.
The 2 books were very much alike.
The difference this book was bigger, had a chapter with notes but most important it was published later (3 Years?) which meant the author could tell us the aftermath.
McDuff did tell where 3 of his victims were buried so I am so glad that they were able to bring Regina, Colleen and Melanie home.
Plus the author also told us that McDuff died. He was executed on November 17, 1998 at Huntsville Unit. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice death row section McDuff's final words were: "I’m ready to be released. Release me".[3] McDuff's body was never claimed by his family. He is buried in the cemetery of the prison where he was executed. His grave marker is adorned only with his death row number: X999055.
It is very interesting to learn that what he did, being paroled twice and kill again, launched a massive overhaul of its prison system to prevent violent criminals from winning early parole in Texas.
The parole rules were tightened and I can imagine he must have been on of the most hated prisoners by his fellow prisoners.
The 2 books were very much alike.
The difference this book was bigger, had a chapter with notes but most important it was published later (3 Years?) which meant the author could tell us the aftermath.
McDuff did tell where 3 of his victims were buried so I am so glad that they were able to bring Regina, Colleen and Melanie home.
Plus the author also told us that McDuff died. He was executed on November 17, 1998 at Huntsville Unit. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice death row section McDuff's final words were: "I’m ready to be released. Release me".[3] McDuff's body was never claimed by his family. He is buried in the cemetery of the prison where he was executed. His grave marker is adorned only with his death row number: X999055.
It is very interesting to learn that what he did, being paroled twice and kill again, launched a massive overhaul of its prison system to prevent violent criminals from winning early parole in Texas.
The parole rules were tightened and I can imagine he must have been on of the most hated prisoners by his fellow prisoners.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2017
An infamous Texas saga about a convicted murderer who was released from prison and (surprise, surprise) killed again...and again...and again, prompting several changes in the laws and parole procedures. An absorbing book, though Lavergne strikes me as a better researcher than writer.
June 12, 2018
Terrifying Subject
This man was terrifying, and now he can never harm anyone again. The cities of Waco, Austin , and Belton are much safer with him gone.
This man was terrifying, and now he can never harm anyone again. The cities of Waco, Austin , and Belton are much safer with him gone.
February 1, 2020
Interesting story of how the system failed the victims of this killer. In an attempt to save money and lower the prisoner count, the state of Texas gave early release to thousands of prisoners in the 1980's. For some, this might have been a good thing, but one man who never should have been released was Kenneth Allen McDuff, a convicted murderer who was given a second chance. McDuff went on to brutally murder several more people and got away with it for quite some time. While the basic premise of the book was interesting, it was a little too detailed for my taste and at almost 400 pages, could have been a more interesting book if it was a little shorter.
July 18, 2016
I currently live in Rosebud and anyone that is older talks about McDuff a lot! He didn't spend as much time here as I thought from the way people talk about him. But this is a small town and it's like stepping back in time when you come here. Like for real, half this town does not get internet and a lot of them wouldn't want it if they could get it. So after reading about what he did to those poor women I see how after all this time they talk about him like it happened last week. That kind of stuff never happens here and probably won't happen ever again.
October 4, 2012
Well-researched and meticulously told, this story of cold-blooded mayhem is hampered only by its lack of emphasis on possible root causes for such behavior. McDuff was so feared and hated that his execution prompted little or no opposition to the death penalty, for which Texas is notorious. The mystery to average folk might be how this guy got anyone to spend enough time with him to get raped and/or killed
July 15, 2018
It is not merely a biography of a criminal although it is rich in biographic detail of the criminal, cronies, victims, prosecutors, and lawmen. There is also a fair amount of coverage of the crimes without reveling in the lurid details of the crimes. The communities (the parts of town where McDuff operated) and the attitude towards McDuff was also explored, adding background.
Another reviewer of this book mentioned the author's research abilities: just like his other works this book is well-researched, something which separates him from a number of other crime writers.
Another reviewer of this book mentioned the author's research abilities: just like his other works this book is well-researched, something which separates him from a number of other crime writers.
February 8, 2026
I have to say that the entire book kept me on my feet, It was very well written and If you don't want to read a book that goes into detail of every gory murder that Kenneth carried out, this book is not the read for you. As I read through the book I became filled with anger because its just boggles my mind how he was on death row and then he was released. I feel like the criminal justice system and so flawed and that they failed every victim of Kenneth McDuff.
September 12, 2020
True crime as it should be
This was a thorough and well written account of the mcduff case. No stone left unturned. I love coming away from a book with every conceivable question answered. He even used citations and there is an index! Why can't all true crime writers write this way?!
This was a thorough and well written account of the mcduff case. No stone left unturned. I love coming away from a book with every conceivable question answered. He even used citations and there is an index! Why can't all true crime writers write this way?!
April 23, 2023
This was tedious. I couldn't wait to finish it.
December 25, 2007
This book was so disturbing I never finished it. It was well written but never should have been.
June 17, 2009
Too many details for me. Struggled to get through this one.
September 22, 2011
I will never read it again. It wasn't a bad book, just not my thing.
October 10, 2013
Decent true crime novel
September 17, 2016
I couldn't finish this book. I just couldn't get into it.
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January 11, 2019Picked this up in a second hand store and in turn it will get donated out. This is a true crime novel about a man that thought he could do no wrong. He murdered 6 women and 2 teenage boys. One of his murders was covered on "America's Most Wanted". He was executed in 1998.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews