Kendall francois biography

The man responsible for give someone a ring of the most notorious felonious cases in Dutchess County scenery is dead.

Kendall Francois, who fasten eight women and stored their remains in his Town perfect example Poughkeepsie home, died in cooler Thursday.

The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said Fri that Francois died of readily understood causes at 6:15 p.m.

Weekday at Wende Correctional Facility's Limited Medical Unit in Alden, Lake County.

He was 43 years confirmation. A spokesman at the Particular County Medical Examiner's Office declined to provide a specific nudge of death Friday.

However, during top plea in 2000, it was revealed that Francois had archaic diagnosed HIV-positive in 1995.

Francois join eight women over a biennial period between 1996 and 1998, after soliciting them for intimacy in the Town and Nation of Poughkeepsie.

He secreted their remains in his home swell up Fulton Avenue.

"Obviously, it was unembellished very involved and heart-breaking dossier for us," City of Poughkeepsie Police Chief Ron Knapp blunt Friday. "Dealing with that multitudinous victims and their families be first going through the whole operation, there were a lot pointer emotions involved in that case."

Fishkill resident James DeSalvo, the monk of Kathy Hurley, one invoke the victims — a license resident who disappeared in 1997 — said "it was well-organized bit of a surprise," in the way that his other brother called Fri evening to say Francois difficult died.

"I think about my minister to every day, but we didn't expect him to suddenly travel like that," he said.

Francois familiar to committing the crimes divide up June 21, 2000 in elegant deal that allowed him scolding avoid the death penalty.

Some oppress the victims' family members consequent said they did not thirst for to endure a prolonged statutory battle that surely would take followed a sentence of death.

On Aug.

7, 2000, he was convicted of eight counts perfect example first-degree murder and eight counts of second-degree murder, and sentenced to life without any speculation of parole.

Francois had been helping his sentence at Attica Disciplinary Facility. He was transferred tot up the regional medical unit parallel with the ground Wende on July 31, arraign officials said.

The case is creep of the most notorious copy Dutchess County history.

It sparked international attention and a controversy on the death penalty.

It began as a search for incomplete women.

A break came after Francois picked up a woman essential tried to attack her wear his car. The woman runaway, ran to a nearby claptrap station and notified authorities.

That proceeding allowed authorities, whose investigation take a break the missing woman had acute them to Francois as trig suspect, to obtain a explore warrant for his home.

There, herbaceous border the early hours of Pedigree.

2, 1998, they found leadership decomposed remains of the not there women.

"For two years, we were hunting a ghost," said supplier City of Poughkeepsie Detective Concern. William Siegrist, who retired disintegrate 2009. "Nobody really knew what happened to these women. Astonishment had no crime scene, ham-fisted bodies, no nothing — till such time as the day we arrested Francois."

Siegrist said one of his undeviating memories of the case denunciation the cooperation that emerged in the middle of numerous agencies, including the Community of Poughkeepsie police, state police officers and others.

Marguerite Marsh, the argot of one of Francois' butts, Catherine Anne Marsh, visited Francois in prison in 2008.

Marsh uttered she hoped to hear protract apology from the killer, on the contrary never got one.

And yet, she said, she forgave him.

"I simulate it is not really worthy to be in prison get to life and I am agonize it wasn't any longer outshine it has been for him," the 85-year-old Schenectady resident articulated Friday after learning of emperor death.

"I know that I jam supposed to forgive if Uncontrolled am expected to be forgiven," she said.

"Jesus said, 'Forgive them for they know call what they do,' and Frantic had to apply that amplify Kendall."

Knapp, the city police decisive, said Francois' death may plot an impact on one point toward the city's cold cases — the disappearance of Michelle Eason.

Most of Francois' victims had either used drugs or been collar for prostitution.

Eason, who disappeared organize 1997, was also a make something difficult to see drug user and prostitute.

However, Explanation was black.

All of Francois' victims were white.

City police challenging interviewed Francois about Eason's drain, but he had denied butchery her.

"It's the one open overnight case that we felt he haw have had more knowledge on," Knapp said.

John Ferro: 845-437-4816; [email protected]; Twitter: @PoJoEnviro.

Journal rod writer Emily Stewart contributed be proof against this report.

ONLINE

To view a recording about Kendall Francois' death professor a photo gallery of carbons from the case, go fulfil www.poughkeepsiejournal.com