{"id":2523813,"date":"2025-12-21T17:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T22:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/42-years-later-dna-evidence-solves-case-of-5-texans-kidnapped-from-a-kfc-restaurant-and-executed-after-robbery\/"},"modified":"2025-12-21T17:03:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T22:03:26","slug":"42-years-later-dna-evidence-solves-case-of-5-texans-kidnapped-from-a-kfc-restaurant-and-executed-after-robbery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/42-years-later-dna-evidence-solves-case-of-5-texans-kidnapped-from-a-kfc-restaurant-and-executed-after-robbery\/","title":{"rendered":"42 Years Later, DNA Evidence Solves Case of 5 Texans Kidnapped from a KFC Restaurant and Executed After Robbery"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">38<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F42-years-later-dna-evidence-solves-case-of-5-texans-kidnapped-from-a-kfc-restaurant-and-executed-after-robbery%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2523813&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Texas Department of public Safety has identified Devan Riggs as the third <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >adn final suspect<\/a> in the 1983 KFC murders in East Texas, where five people were kidnapped from a restaurant and executed. Riggs was identified through advanced DNA testing and genealogical analysis, but he passed away over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/prager-trip-to-vietnam-reconfirmed-my-hatred-of-communism\/\" title=\"PRAGER: Trip To Vietnam Reconfirmed My Hatred Of Communism\">ten years ago<\/a>, so no arrest will be made. The murders occurred on September 24, 1983, in Rusk County, Texas, shocking the community and the nation. The victims-four restaurant employees and one other individual-were found shot <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fetterman-voted-to-put-murderers-back-on-streets\/\" title=\"Fetterman Voted to Put Murderers Back on Streets\">execution-style<\/a>, with one also sexually assaulted. two men, Romeo Pinkerton and Darnell Hartsfield, were convicted years ago based on DNA evidence, but a third perpetrator&#8217;s DNA found on one victim remained unidentified until recent advances allowed Riggs to be named. with this identification, authorities have officially closed the cold case.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Texas Department of Public Safety investigators have identified the third and final perpetrator in the 1983 KFC murders in East Texas, in which five people were kidnapped from a restaurant and killed.<\/p>\n<p>A suspect named Devan Riggs was identified through advanced DNA testing and genealogical analysis.<\/p>\n<p>Riggs, however, has been dead for more than a decade, so no arrests will be made.<\/p>\n<p>But with the identification complete, authorities have officially closed the case. The killings occurred in September 1983 and shocked Rusk County, Texas, and the country.<\/p>\n<p>On the morning of Sept. 24, 1983, the bodies of five victims were discovered on a remote oil lease in a rural area of the county.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Those victims were Opie Hughes, 39; Mary Tyler, 37; Joey Johnson, 20; David Maxwell, 20; and Monty Landers, 19. All but Landers were employees of the restaurant, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/crime\/2025\/12\/17\/the-final-suspect-in-the-1983-east-texas-kfc-murders-was-identified-heres-what-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to<\/a> the Dallas Morning News.<\/p>\n<p>Each victim had been shot in the back of the head in what investigators described as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/my-goal-is-to-have-this-man-executed-father-pleads-not-guilty-after-confessing-to-killing-his-3-sons\/\" title=\"Father pleads not guilty after confessing to killing his 3 sons, aims for execution.\">execution-style killings<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Hughes was also sexually assaulted, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dps.texas.gov\/news\/modern-technology-identifies-final-perpetrator-1983-kfc-murders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DPS<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox4news.com\/news\/texas-kfc-murders-cold-case-suspect-identified-devan-riggs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KDFW-TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The five victims were killed &#8220;execution-style&#8221; after being abducted from a Kentucky Fried Chicken in East Texas in 1983. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qYR4pxGTWu\">https:\/\/t.co\/qYR4pxGTWu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FOX4\/status\/2001057342956196220?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Investigators determined the victims had been abducted the night before from a KFC restaurant in Kilgore during an armed robbery.<\/p>\n<p>The case remained unsolved for years before advances in DNA technology helped to partially solve the crime.<\/p>\n<p>In 2007 and 2008, Romeo Pinkerton and Darnell Hartsfield were convicted of the murders.<\/p>\n<p>Their convictions were based on DNA evidence collected at the KFC restaurant.<\/p>\n<p>However, one piece of DNA recovered from Hughes&rsquo; clothing did not match either man.<\/p>\n<p>Based on the evidence, police believed there was a third perpetrator.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Decades later, the final KFC murders suspect has been ID&rsquo;d. How it happened: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/AY5hwwvsGu\">https:\/\/t.co\/AY5hwwvsGu<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uE9YGPaBGh\">pic.twitter.com\/uE9YGPaBGh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; KLTV 7 (@KLTV7) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KLTV7\/status\/1992000261754106333?\">November 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>For years, investigators continued working to identify the unknown suspect without any success.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, the Texas Rangers determined the case qualified for review under the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.<\/p>\n<p>The program, which was funded through the Department of Justice and Bureau of Justice Assistance, supports investigations into unresolved sexual assaults and homicides.<\/p>\n<p>In July 2024, the remaining DNA evidence was sent to Bode Technologies for advanced testing and analysis.<\/p>\n<p>By May 2025, that work flagged DNA from three brothers from East Texas as potential suspects.<\/p>\n<p>Further research and testing ultimately confirmed Riggs as the source of the DNA last month.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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Using advanced DNA testing and genealogical methods, they identified Devan Riggs as the suspect. However, since Riggs has been deceased for over ten years, no arrests will be made. With this identification, authorities have officially closed the case<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2523814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/KFC-murders-solved.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32149,40131,69211,49676,38823],"class_list":["post-2523813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-cold-case","tag-dna-evidence","tag-robbery-and-murder","tag-texas-crime","tag-true-crime"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/KFC-murders-solved.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2523813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2523813"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2523813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2523817,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2523813\/revisions\/2523817"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2523814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2523813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2523813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2523813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}