Bio

Kenneth Parr was born on January 16, 1980, in Matagorda County, Texas. He grew up in a difficult environment. His childhood was marked by instability and hardship. His mother struggled with her own problems, which led to her being in and out of prison. Kenneth and his siblings often found themselves moving from one home to another.

He learned that his father had died, which deeply affected him. As a result, he started to rebel against authority and the unstable conditions in his life. This rebellion included skipping school and getting into trouble.

Kenneth had sporadic schooling and managed to complete only 11 years of education. He spent some time living on the streets as he tried to navigate his difficult circumstances. Despite these challenges, he made efforts to continue his education when he could.

Throughout his early life, Kenneth was in contact with the juvenile justice system. He had already been in trouble for burglary and assault before reaching adulthood. By the time he turned 18, Kenneth was on parole, struggling with the consequences of his past actions and the environment he had grown up in.

His life took a dark turn soon after his 18th birthday when he became involved in serious criminal activities. 

Murder Story

On January 21, 1998, Kenneth Parr, along with his accomplice, entered Linda "Suzie" Malek's home in Bay City, Texas. The two men were armed and wore masks to hide their identities. They ordered Linda and her two young children, Ashley and Zachary, to lie face down on the floor.

During the invasion, they demanded to know if Linda had a gun and where her jewelry was. After Linda provided this information, she was sexually assaulted. Following this, the intruders shot her twice in the head. They then ransacked the home, stealing items like a television, VCR, and jewelry. After obtaining the car keys, they attempted to steal Linda’s vehicle. However, they could not operate the car's manual transmission and fled on foot instead, taking some electronic items with them.

After about thirty minutes of fear and uncertainty, eight-year-old Ashley called her grandparents to report the break-in and that her mother was shot. When her grandparents arrived, they found the house in disarray and Linda lying on the floor. The police later discovered some of the stolen items in a dumpster near an apartment complex where Parr lived.

Investigation revealed that much of the stolen property was hidden in an air conditioning vent in the apartment of Monica Silva, Parr’s girlfriend. Silvia testified that Parr had confessed to her about committing the burglary and murder. Evidence, including DNA, connected Parr to the crime, and he was later arrested along with his accomplice, Michael Jiminez, who also confessed to their involvement.

Parr was indicted for capital murder and was convicted in 1999, receiving a death sentence. After several appeals were denied, he was executed by lethal injection on August 15, 2007, in Texas. Despite being only days past his 18th birthday at the time of the crime, Parr's execution proceeded, as Texas law permitted capital punishment for crimes committed by individuals 18 years or older at that time.