Murder Of Bobby Kent
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Bobby Kent (né Khayam; May 12, 1973 – July 14, 1993) was an Iranian-American man who was murdered by seven people, including his best friend, Martin Joseph "Marty" Puccio, Jr (born March 21, 1973). in
Weston, Florida Weston is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States, just west of Fort Lauderdale. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area, which is anchored by Miami. The population was 68,107 at the 2020 census. Weston is 30 miles northwest of Miami, F ...
. The murder would be adapted into the 2001 film ''
Bully Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively wikt:domination, dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by ot ...
''.


Events before the murder

Bobby Kent, the son of Iranian immigrants Fred and Farah Kent (originally surnamed Khayam), attended South Broward High School in the South Florida suburb of Hollywood, Florida. According to Tim Donnelly, who prosecuted all the conspirators for this murder, one attorney described Kent as "like
Eddie Haskell Edward Clark Haskell (also referred to as Edward W. Haskell) is a fictional character on the American television sitcom '' Leave It to Beaver'', which ran on CBS from October 4, 1957, to 1958 and on ABC from 1958 to 1963. He was played by Ken O ...
. All the parents loved him in the neighborhood, but the kids looked at him a different way." Marty Puccio is an Italian-American, and was raised Catholic. Kent and Puccio had known each other since third grade, had lived on the same block in Hollywood, Florida since that time, and were good friends as teenagers. Bad blood, however, existed between the two. Puccio felt "ill-will and hatred" towards Kent, who would bully and pummel him. Both sets of parents were wary of the friendship as well. Puccio's parents, Martin Sr. and Veronica, were concerned because Marty often returned from being with Kent bleeding or covered in bruises. Fred Kent thought of Puccio as a wayward slacker who had no future (Puccio was a high school dropout) and felt the friendship with his son would destroy the future he was helping him build. Frequent gym-goers, both boys were rumored to use steroids, which, in Kent's case, according to testimonial accounts, significantly contributed to his erratic, aggressive behavior. Kent and Puccio had experimented with making
gay porn Gay pornography is the representation of sexual activity between males. Its primary goal is sexual arousal in its audience. Softcore gay pornography also exists; it at one time constituted the genre, and may be produced as beefcake pornogra ...
movies, hoping to distribute them to local shops. Neither Kent nor Puccio actually participated in these movies, but, rather, allegedly directed them and coaxed a Florida man in his 40s to perform on camera. Kent tried to peddle a movie, titled ''Rough Boys'', to porn shops across South Florida. None took him up on the offer, due to the poor audio and video quality as well as the lack of any sexual activities in the film beyond the man dancing nude and playing with a dildo.


Murder

Toward the beginning of 1993, Puccio (aged 20) began dating Lisa Connelly (aged 18). Frustrated by how much time Puccio spent with Kent (aged 20) as well as Kent's treatment of Puccio, Connelly tried to distract Kent from Puccio by setting up her friend Alice "Ali" Willis (aged 17) with Kent. Kent and Willis dated for a few weeks, but she ultimately ended the relationship because he was abusive. In June, Puccio confided to Connelly that Kent had been abusive to him quite often over the years. Connelly tried to convince him to end the friendship, but Puccio seemed hesitant. By this time, Connelly knew she was pregnant with Puccio's child, and was determined to pursue a permanent relationship with him. Allegedly, Connelly decided that Kent needed to be eliminated permanently, and began talking to Puccio and other friends about murdering him. On July 13, 1993, Connelly called Willis and told her that "Bobby Kent was planning to come to Palm Bay, Florida, where Willis was living, to murder her and smother her baby y a previous relationship unless she returned to Broward County to date him again." Willis claimed Connelly asked her to come to Connelly's house to discuss murdering Bobby Kent. Willis went to Connelly's house and brought two friends, her current boyfriend, Donald Semenec (aged 17), and Heather Swallers (aged 18). On the night of July 13, 1993, Puccio, Semenec, Swallers, Connelly and Willis met with Kent. Puccio, Semenec, and Swallers became uncomfortable and left. Connelly and Willis lured Kent to a new development under construction with the promise that he would be able to drive Willis' Mustang 5.0 and have sex with her. Connelly had brought along her mother's pistol, intending to kill Kent while he was distracted by sexual activity with Willis, but was unable to go through with shooting him. Despite the failed attempt, Connelly still wanted Kent dead. Seeking assistance, she contacted a self-proclaimed
hitman Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
named Derek Kaufman (aged 20), who had been recommended by a friend of Willis'. The group met Kaufman at his home in Rolling Oaks, Florida. They wanted him to get a gun so they could kill Kent that night, but Kaufman told them he couldn't procure a weapon that quickly. Willis, Connelly, Semenec and Swallers then went back to Connelly's house and were joined by her cousin, Derek Dzvirko (aged 19). The group continued to discuss their plans, and ultimately decided to go ahead with murdering Kent the next night, with Kaufman's assistance. Late on the night of July 14, 1993, the seven joined together at Puccio's house and finalized their plans. Puccio contacted Kent and convinced him to come out with the group that night, with the promise that they would race their cars and that Willis wanted to have sex with him again. The group assembled their weapons: between them, they had two knives, a lead pipe, and a baseball bat. Around 11:30 p.m., they picked Kent up from his home and headed out to a construction site. When they arrived at the site, Willis, in accordance with the plan, took Kent off to a secluded spot where they were talking. Swallers joined them there. While she and Willis distracted Kent, Semenec came up and stabbed Kent in the back of the neck with a knife. When Kent asked for Puccio's help, Puccio stuck a knife in Kent's stomach. Kent yelled out an apology, but Puccio continued to stab him. When Kent tried to flee, Puccio, Semenec, and Derek Kaufman followed him and continued wounding him. Puccio then slit Kent's throat and hit his head against the ground. Kaufman then approached and hit Kent in the head with the baseball bat, which was the final blow. After this, Dzvirko, Semenec, Puccio, and Kaufman helped dump Kent's body on the edge of the shore of the marsh, in the belief that alligators would eat the decaying body.


Aftermath

In the days following the crime, many of the conspirators confessed to various other people. Connelly confessed to her mother, who contacted her sister, Dzvirko's mother. Together, they took Connelly and Dzvirko to see their brother, Joe Scrima, who had friends in the police department and who they thought would know what to do. Scrima's friends put them in touch with Detective Frank Illaraza of the Broward County Sheriff's Office, and a cooperative Dzvirko confessed everything. As proof, he led Illaraza to Kent's body.


Adjudications

*Martin Puccio was charged with
first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...
and originally was sentenced to death by electrocution on August 3, 1995.Puccio, Martin
."
Florida Department of Corrections The Florida Department of Corrections operates state prisons in the U.S. state of Florida. It has its headquarters in Florida's capital of Tallahassee. The Florida Department of Corrections operates the third largest state prison system in the ...
. Retrieved on August 31, 2010.
In 1997, the
Supreme Court of Florida The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one ...
ruled that Puccio should not be executed due to mitigating factors, so his death sentence was commuted to life in prison, with parole eligibility occurring in 25 years. He remains in custody at the Desoto Annex in Arcadia, Florida. *Donald Semenec was sentenced to life in prison, plus a concurrent 15-year sentence for conspiracy. He remains in custody at
Lake Correctional Institution :''See also Lake City Correctional Facility in Lake City, Florida'' The Lake Correctional Institution is a state prison for men located in Clermont, Lake County, Florida, owned and operated by the Florida Department of Corrections The Flo ...
in Clermont, Florida. *Derek Kaufman was sentenced to life in prison without parole for 25 years, plus a concurrent 30-year sentence for conspiracy. He remains in custody in the
Tomoka Correctional Institution The Tomoka Correctional Institution is a state prison for men located in Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida, owned and operated by the Florida Department of Corrections The Florida Department of Corrections operates state prisons in the ...
near Daytona, Florida. *Lisa Connelly initially was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Her sentence was overturned on appeal as unduly harsh, and was reduced in 1998 to 22 years. After having served only 9 years, she was released in February 2004. *Alice Willis was charged with second-degree murder and sentenced to 40 years' imprisonment and 40 years' probation on May 19, 1995. The sentence was reduced on appeal to 17 years. Willis was released from secure custody in September 2001, but remains on probation. *Derek Dzvirko pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was released from custody in October 1999. *Heather Swallers pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to seven years in prison. She was released from custody in February 1998.


In popular culture

The murder resulted in a best-selling
true crime True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events. The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 per ...
book in 1998, ''Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge'' (), written by Jim Schutze. ''Publishers Weekly'' stated that it was "A chilling tale" and that Schutze "captured the mindset of the intellectually and emotionally shallow killers". Schutze worked for the ''Houston Chronicle''. The book was adapted by David McKenna (credited under the pseudonym "Zachary Long" after he demanded his name be removed from the film) and Roger Pullis into the 2001 film ''
Bully Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively wikt:domination, dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by ot ...
'', directed by
Larry Clark Lawrence Donald Clark (born January 19, 1943) is an American film director, photographer, writer and film producer who is best known for his controversial teen film ''Kids'' (1995) and his photography book ''Tulsa'' (1971). His work focuses prim ...
. In the film, Kent was portrayed by
Nick Stahl Nicolas Kent Stahl (born December 5, 1979) is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film ''The Man Without a Face'', co-starring Mel Gibson. He later transitioned into his adult ...
, Puccio was portrayed by
Brad Renfro Brad Barron Renfro (July 25, 1982 – January 15, 2008) was an American actor. He made his film debut at the age of 11 with a starring role in '' The Client'' (1994). He went on to appear in 21 feature films and won several awards. Prior to bei ...
, Willis was portrayed by
Bijou Phillips Bijou Lilly Phillips Masterson (born April 1, 1980) is an American actress, model and singer. The daughter of musician John Phillips and Geneviève Waïte, she began her career as a model. Phillips made her singing debut with '' I'd Rather Ea ...
, Connelly was portrayed by
Rachel Miner Rachel Anne Miner is an American actress. She first came to prominence for her portrayal of Michelle Bauer on the television soap opera ''Guiding Light'' (1990–95). She made her film debut in Woody Allen's ''Alice'' (1990), and later earned cr ...
, Semenec was portrayed by
Michael Pitt Michael Carmen Pitt (born April 10, 1981) is an American actor, model, and musician. Pitt is known in film for his roles in ''Murder by Numbers'' (2002), Bernardo Bertolucci's '' The Dreamers'' (2003), Gus Van Sant's '' Last Days'' (2005), and M ...
, Swallers was portrayed by
Kelli Garner Kelli Brianne Garner (born April 11, 1984) is an American actress who has appeared in a variety of independent and mainstream films, television, and theater. A native of Southern California, Garner made her feature film debut at age seventeen ...
, Dzvirko was portrayed by
Daniel Franzese Daniel Franzese (born May 9, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, and activist best known for his roles in director Larry Clark's ''Bully'' and as Damian in Tina Fey's 2004 feature film ''Mean Girls''. Franzese is the creator of several live come ...
, and Kaufman was portrayed by
Leo Fitzpatrick Leonardo Aurellio Randy Fitzpatrick is an American actor and co-director of the Marlborough Chelsea gallery. He is best known as Telly in ''Kids'' (1995) and Johnny Weeks in ''The Wire'' (2002–2004). Career He was discovered at age 14 by d ...
. The story was covered on ''
American Justice ''American Justice'' is an American criminal justice television program airing on the A&E Network. From 1992–2005, the show was hosted by television reporter Bill Kurtis. The show features interesting or notable cases, such as the murder ...
'', '
Forensic Files ''Forensic Files'', originally known as ''Medical Detectives'', is an American documentary television program that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness. The show was origi ...
'', and ''Murder Among Friends''. The ''Forensic Files'' episode contains an interview with Derek Dzvirko about the murder.


Notes


References

* Schutze, Jim. ''Bully: Does Anyone Deserve to Die?'' **
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
, February 1, 1998. , 9780380723331
Available from
Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical c ...
**
William Morrow and Company William Morrow and Company is an American publishing company founded by William Morrow in 1926. The company was acquired by Scott Foresman in 1967, sold to Hearst Corporation in 1981, and sold to News Corporation News Corporation (abbrev ...
, 1997.
Available from the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...


External links


Decision on Appeal leading to vacating the Death Penalty.
*Richey, Warren.
Man, 22, Gets Life Sentence For Role In Kent Murder
" ''
Sun-Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as surrounding Br ...
''. June 13, 1995. *Sewell, Dan.
Murder Bares Sordid Teen Culture : Crime: Death probe unveils a suburban network involved in prostitution, pornography and robbery.
''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
''. August 15, 1993. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, Bobby 1993 in Florida 1993 murders in the United States 1990s crimes in Florida 1990s trials History of Broward County, Florida Bullying in the United States Deaths by beating in the United States Deaths by person in Florida Deaths by stabbing in Florida July 1993 crimes July 1993 events in the United States Murder committed by minors Murder in Florida Murder trials Place of birth missing Trials in the United States