The murder of Marcy Renee Conrad (February 5, 1967 – November 3, 1981) was perpetrated by Anthony Jacques Broussard, a 16-year-old high school student. Conrad's death gained national attention due to the age of her killer, forcing a re-evaluation of California statutes regarding
juvenile sentencing for violent crimes.
The case triggered widespread media coverage, as a stark example of social disaffection among suburban youth.
The murder of Marcy Renee Conrad, and subsequent events, were the inspiration for the screenplay of the
Tim Hunter film ''
River's Edge
''River's Edge'' is a 1986 American crime drama film directed by Tim Hunter, written by Neal Jimenez, and starring Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye Leitch, Daniel Roebuck and Dennis Hopper. It follows a group of teenagers in a Norther ...
''.
Murder
Marcy Renee Conrad, 14, was raped and killed by 16-year-old Anthony Jacques Broussard in his home in
Milpitas
Milpitas (Spanish for "little milpas") is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in Silicon Valley. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 80,273. The city's origins lie in Rancho Milpitas, granted to Californio ranchero José Marí ...
, California on November 3, 1981. Her body was transported in Broussard's pickup truck into nearby hills and dumped in a ravine.
An autopsy confirmed that Conrad had been raped and then murdered by strangulation.
After the murder, Broussard invited friends from
Milpitas High School to view Conrad's corpse.
Reports indicate that Broussard bragged about her death at school, and showed the body to at least 10 people.
After two days, two students finally broke ranks with the others and notified police. When the other Milpitas students were asked why they had not alerted police, they responded that they "did not want to get in trouble."
Broussard pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years to life. He was denied a new trial in 1985, and has repeatedly been denied parole. As of Jan 2022, Broussard is still incarcerated at
California State Prison, Solano.
[InmateLocator.cdcr.ca.gov ]
Broussard, Anthony Jacques Inmate #C56988
Retrieved September 24, 2019
In culture
The murder partially inspired the screenplay for the 1986 film ''
River's Edge
''River's Edge'' is a 1986 American crime drama film directed by Tim Hunter, written by Neal Jimenez, and starring Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye Leitch, Daniel Roebuck and Dennis Hopper. It follows a group of teenagers in a Norther ...
''.
The murder, and ''River’s Edge'', are mentioned in
John Darnielle’s 2022 novel, ''
Devil House''.
See also
*
List of kidnappings
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conrad, Marcy Renee
Murdered American children
1967 births
1981 deaths
Deaths by person in California
Deaths by strangulation in the United States
Rapes in the United States
People murdered in California
C
1981 in California
1981 murders in the United States
Crime in the San Francisco Bay Area
Milpitas, California
History of the San Francisco Bay Area
November 1981 events in the United States
Female murder victims
Incidents of violence against girls