Texas’ KFC Murder Cold Case Finally Solved after 42 Years

It took 42 years, but the families devastated from the 1983 abduction and murder of five Texans can finally find peace knowing the final perpetrator has been identified.

What Are the KFC Murders in Texas?

On the picturesque evening of September 23, 1983 in Kilgore, TX, five people enjoying their meals at a KFC were abducted, executed, and had their bodies dumped miles away for police to find the next day.

All five victims, Opie Hughes, 39; Mary Tyler, 37; Joey Johnson, 20; David Maxwell, 20; and Monty Landers, 19, were finally located in a remote portion of Rusk County. They all had suffered gunshot wounds to the back of the head—execution style—and one, Opie Hughes, was found to have been sexually assaulted prior to their death.

DNA Collected from the Horrific Crime Scene

It took 24 years before the first names came up as a match for the DNA collected from the crime scene. Two men, Romeo Pinkerton and Darnell Hartsfield, were convicted of the killings in 2007 and 2008.

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Before investigators could close the case, they found DNA evidence that did not match either of the two men, leading them to believe that there was a third member involved in the armed robbery and killings.

Finally, in November 2025 and through the use of the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) program, the unidentified DNA finally found a positive match: Devon Riggs, who has been dead for over a decade already.

This meant that no new arrests were made, but the case could finally be closed now that Texas has all the information they need explaining what happened that fatal night, 42 years ago, at a KFC in Rusk County.