Bryan Frederick Jennings was born on December 9, 1958, in Florida, United States. Very little public information is available about his early life, upbringing, or family background. However, what is known is that by the age of 20, Jennings was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. There is no public record of previous criminal behavior or mental health diagnoses before the crime, though court documents and psychiatric evaluations during his trials later described him as having a severely flawed conscience and a predatory personality. He lived in Brevard County, Florida, at the time of the crime and had no known personal connection to the victim or her family. Jennings's life before the murder remained mostly under the radar, with no indication that he would later commit one of the most brutal crimes in Florida's history.

On the early morning of May 11, 1979, six-year-old Rebecca "Becky" Kunash was asleep in her bedroom in Brevard County, Florida, when 20-year-old Bryan Jennings forcibly broke into her home. Without anyone in the house noticing, Jennings abducted the girl from her room, placed her in his vehicle, and drove her to a secluded area near a canal on Merritt Island. What followed was a horrifying sequence of events. Jennings raped the young girl, then lifted her by the feet and slammed her head to the ground, fracturing her skull. As if that wasn’t fatal enough, Jennings pinned her head underwater in the canal for around ten minutes until she drowned. He left her body in the canal.

Later that same day, Jennings was arrested for a traffic offense in Orange County, Florida. As the investigation into Kunash’s disappearance began, authorities connected Jennings to the crime. After initially denying involvement, he eventually confessed during police interrogation to kidnapping, sexually assaulting, and murdering Rebecca Kunash. His taped confession became a crucial piece of evidence during his trial.

Jennings was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, burglary, and sexual battery. During his first trial in February 1980, a former cellmate testified that Jennings had bragged about the killing. Fingerprint experts also confirmed his prints were found on the girl’s bedroom window. A psychiatrist testified that Jennings was not insane but showed signs of a dangerously predatory personality. On February 7, 1980, a jury found Jennings guilty of all charges, and on February 11, 1980, they recommended the death penalty by an 11–1 vote. He was formally sentenced to death on May 7, 1980.

However, the legal journey didn’t end there. On April 8, 1982, the Florida Supreme Court overturned the conviction due to procedural errors and ordered a re-trial. The second trial in July 1982 resulted in another guilty verdict, and again the jury recommended the death penalty, this time by a 9–3 vote. Jennings was sentenced to death on September 3, 1982, along with three life sentences for the additional charges. But in 1985, yet another appeal was granted, and a third trial was ordered.

The third trial took place in March 1986 and was moved to Bay County to ensure impartiality due to extensive media coverage. Once again, Jennings was found guilty, and on April 8, 1986, the jury recommended death by a vote of 11–1. On April 25, 1986, Jennings received his third formal death sentence, alongside three life sentences for kidnapping, sexual battery, and burglary.

Jennings's appeals stretched on for decades. From 1987 through 2024, multiple appeals were filed and ultimately denied. He narrowly escaped execution in October 1989 when a stay of execution was granted the night before his scheduled death. In 2018, he filed for relief under the U.S. Supreme Court’s Hurst decision, which required unanimous jury recommendations for death sentences. His appeal was denied since his sentence predated the ruling and was not retroactive.

As of 2025, Bryan Jennings remains on death row at Florida State Prison, having spent over 45 years awaiting execution. Despite the passage of time and multiple legal efforts, he has never been released nor re-sentenced.