Kendall Francois

Kendall Francois (July 26, 1971 – September 11, 2014) was a serial killer from Poughkeepsie, New York, convicted of killing eight women, from 1996 to 1998.

Early years
Francois wrestled and played football at Arlington High School. Upon graduation in 1989, he enlisted in the United States Army, where he completed basic training at Fort Sill. After four years in the Army, Francois was discharged due to obesity issues. He returned to New York, and enrolled at Dutchess Community College as a liberal arts major.

Student monitor at Arlington Middle School
Francois took a job as a student monitor at Arlington Middle School while attending DCC. His stench earned him the nickname “Stinky” from the students. Despite his smell, it was noted that he tended to make inappropriate sexual jokes with female students while touching their hair.

Killing spree
Francois' first three victims were sex workers for whom Francois was a repeat customer. They also all shared similar physical appearances, white, slight build, dark hair. He picked up his first victim, 30 year old Wendy Meyers, at the local Valley Rest Motel on October 24, 1996. During sex, Francois began choking her. Once she fell unconscious but was not dead, Francois placed her face down in the bathtub and held her down until she died. A month later, (November 29), he killed 29 year old prostitute Gina Barone in his car. Days later, he claimed his third victim, Cathy Marsh, who was pregnant at the time of her murder. All three bodies were placed side by side in the attic of his home on 99 Fulton Street, in which, Francois lived with his parents and younger sister.

Marsh was not reported missing until March 7, 1997, by which time, Francois had already claimed his fourth & fifth victims, 47 year old Kathleen Hurley & 29 year old Mary Healey Giaccone (Giaccone was not reported missing until November 13). Poughkeepsie Police Department Detective Bill Siegrist inquired with the Neighborhood Recovery Unit (the department's narcotic unit). It was reported back to Lt. Siegrist that some of the Main Street prostitutes complained about a local man (Francois) who was rough with the girls and was violent during sex.

Francois was known by local law enforcement for assaulting prostitutes. Detectives began surveilling Francois' home, and had a wired prostitute meet with Francois. Little useful information was obtained, however, they noticed that Francois had a routine: mornings he would use the family car to drive his mother to her place of work at a nearby psychiatric center, where she was a nurse, after which he would cruise the streets of downtown Poughkeepsie.

In early January 1998, Poughkeepsie Police interviewed Francois about the missing women, but it led to another dead end. Later that month, Francois was arrested for assaulting a prostitute in his room after a dispute over money. Francois punched her in the face, knocking her down onto the bed, then got on top of her and choked her with his bare hands. Francois was arrested, and on May 5, he pled guilty to third-degree assault, a misdemeanor for which he spent 15 days in jail.

Perhaps the increased heat from the police department slowed the killing spree. It wasn't until June 1998 that Francois claimed his sixth confirmed victim, 51 year old Sandra Jean French. She was reported missing on June 12 in Dover, New York. Her car was found abandoned in Poughkeepsie, three blocks from the Francois home. On August 26, 25 year old Catina Newmaster vanished. Like all of Francois' other victims, she was white, slight of build, brown hair and was last seen in downtown Poughkeepsie.

Arrest
On September 1, 1998, Francois brought a local drug addict named Christine Sala to his home. Francois pulled the car into the garage and demanded sex from her. After she told him no, he punched her in the face and held her by her throat. He then pulled her out of the car by her hair and demanded that she perform oral sex on him, repeatedly saying “I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you.”

Afterwards, Sala convinced Francois to drive her back to Main Street where he had picked her up. They got into his car and drove to a local Sunoco station, but just before pulling in, Sala jumped from the car and ran away. Detectives Skip Mannain & Bob McCready happened to be in the area handing out flyers about the Catina Newmaster disappearance. Witness Deborah Lownsdale approached their unmarked police car, and told them that a woman, who was now walking away, said that she was just assaulted. The detectives quickly located Sala, who confirmed the attack. She was brought into the police station where she filed a complaint against Francois.

Police returned to Francois' home that day to talk with him about his attack upon Sala. He agreed to go to the police department headquarters to discuss the report. Over the next few hours, Francois eventually made many admissions regarding the disappearance of the women. He was arrested and charged with a single count of murder in the death of Catina Newmaster. A search warrant was quickly drawn up & signed, and shortly after midnight, a team of detectives, the district attorney, EMS crews, crime scene processors & police officers entered the Francois home at 99 Fulton Street.

99 Fulton Street
Police reports indicate that the rooms and hallways were filled with garbage, and the inside of the house smelled putrid. Empty bottles, rotting food, piles of clothes, old newspapers and broken furniture were strewn everywhere. The cabinets, sinks and closets were also filled with junk. The stench was so overpowering that investigators had to put on anti-putrefaction masks before entering the property.

One of the bodies discovered in the house was 34 year old Audrey Pugliese, who had not been reported missing, bringing the confirmed death toll to eight.

Trial & sentence
On September 9, 1998, Francois entered a plea of "not guilty" before Judge Thomas J. Dolan in Dutchess County Court. In his next appearance on October 13, he was formally charged with eight counts of first-degree murder, eight counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted assault.

On December 23, Francois' lawyer attempted to enter a guilty plea before District Attorney William V. Grady could formally file his intent to seek the death penalty. Judge Dolan originally declined to allow Francois to enter such a plea. The defense team appealed the decision and the matter headed over to the State Court of Appeals. The Appeals Court ruled to allow the guilty plea.

Francois showed no emotion and seemed distant from the proceedings. Francois showed little remorse during his trial, and actually commented that “Killing seemed easier than getting into a relationship.” On August 7. 2000, Francois was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to eight counts of first degree murder and eight counts of second. The plea agreement allowed him to avoid a possible death sentence.

Francois was incarcerated in Attica Correctional Facility until shortly before his death. He died in the Wende Correctional Facility on September 11, 2014, at the age of 43. The official cause of death was "AIDS related illness,” as it was revealed in his trial in 2000 that he tested positive for HIV/AIDS in 1995.

Victims
On October 9, 1997, 27 years old African American sex worker Michelle Eason was reported missing in the city of Poughkeepsie. She too was last seen in the downtown area. Though he admitted to knowing her, Francois denied killing her, and he was never charged in her disappearance. Her case remains unsolved.