Final suspect identified in 1983 Texas KFC murders

Texas authorities say they have identified the final perpetrator in the 1983 abduction and murder of five people in East Texas, bringing an end to a case that remained unsolved for more than four decades, according to officials.

The announcement was made Tuesday by the Texas Department of Public Safety, which said the killings occurred in Rusk County after the victims were abducted during an armed robbery at a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Kilgore on the night of September 23, 1983. The victims were found dead the following morning on a remote oil lease in rural Rusk County.

The victims were identified as Opie Hughes, 39; Mary Tyler, 37; Joey Johnson, 20; David Maxwell, 20; and Monty Landers, 19, according to the department. Investigators said all five were fatally shot execution-style, and Hughes was sexually assaulted.

Authorities said two men, Romeo Pinkerton and Darnell Hartsfield, were convicted in 2007 and 2008 using DNA evidence collected from the restaurant. However, a separate DNA sample taken from Hughes’ clothing did not match either man, indicating the involvement of a third perpetrator, according to investigators.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said the case was reexamined in 2023 through the department’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative program, which allowed additional DNA testing and genealogical analysis.

Advanced testing conducted in 2024 and 2025 ultimately led investigators to identify Devan Riggs as the third suspect.

Officials said Riggs had been dead for more than a decade at the time of identification. The Texas Department of Public Safety said the investigation is now closed.

The case, widely known as the Kentucky Fried Chicken murders, drew national attention at the time because of the number of victims and the circumstances of their abduction and killings.