Bad Boy: The True Story of Kenneth Allen McDuff, the Most Notorious Serial Killer in Texas History

by Gary M. Lavergne

A juvenile delinquent and bully as a child, Kenneth Allen McDuff was a notorious criminal by the age of 19. In August 1966, while on parole for burglary, he raped, tortured, and murdered three teenagers in an abandoned field far from his hometown of Rosebud, a peaceful Central Texas hamlet. He was tried, convicted, and condemned to death. Had his sentence not been commuted to life, that would have been the end of Kenneth Allen McDuff. But in 1989, only weeks after the twenty-third anniversary of his crimes, the bad boy from Rosebud walked out of prison a free man.

McDuff took pleasure in outwitting the system, and his bloodlust was an impulse he had no intention of controlling. After decomposed corpses of more and more women were discovered, the worst nightmares of the authorities came true. But times were different. It took 32 years to bring his brutal and heartless crime spree to a fitting end. Texas had never seen such incredible brutality--and has never been the same since.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Serial Killer, Biography, Crime

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 15, 1999

Reviews

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Judi Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Koren · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Sarah Bramlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Dale Stonehouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Di · Rating 5 out of 5]

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?!

[L. Pietras · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was tedious. I couldn't wait to finish it.

[Amy Mawdsley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so disturbing I never finished it. It was well written but never should have been.

[Neil · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too many details for me. Struggled to get through this one.

[Kayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

I will never read it again. It wasn't a bad book, just not my thing.

[Hewitt Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent true crime novel

[Keri · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this book. I just couldn't get into it.

[Kathy]

Picked 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.