Joe Kenda

Joseph Patrick Kenda (born November 14, 1946)[2][3] is a retired Colorado Springs Police Department detective lieutenant who was involved in 387 homicide cases over a 23-year career. He solved 356 cases, a closure rate of 92%.[4] He was featured on the Investigation Discovery television show Homicide Hunter, where he recounted stories of cases he solved. Kenda hosts the Discovery+ show American Detective With Lt. Joe Kenda.

Joe Kenda
Born
Joseph Patrick Kenda

(1946-11-14) November 14, 1946
Herminie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
SpouseMary Kathleen Mohler (m. 1967)
Police career
CountryUnited States
DepartmentColorado Springs Police Department
Service years1973–1996[1]
RankLieutenant
Other workDocumentary television star

Early life

Kenda was born and raised in Herminie, Pennsylvania on November 14, 1946. His paternal grandparents immigrated in 1913 from Čezsoča in what is now Slovenia. His father, William, served as an intelligence officer in the United States Army during World War II and ran a trucking business. His mother, Virginia (née Morrissey), was from Colorado Springs.[5]

He graduated from Greensburg Central Catholic High School in 1964.[6] He attended the University of Pittsburgh, and married his high school girlfriend, Mary Kathleen Mohler, in 1967.[6][7] After graduating with a B.A. in political science, Kenda earned a master's degree in international relations from Ohio State University in 1970.

Kenda considered a career with the Foreign Service, but after a classified briefing with the Central Intelligence Agency decided it was not for him.[6] After working at his father's trucking business, Kenda joined the Colorado Springs Police Department in 1973.[6][8]

Law enforcement career

Kenda joined the Colorado Springs Police Department in 1973. In 1977, he was promoted to the rank of detective and assigned a role in the burglary division of the department.

In 1977, Kenda volunteered to take over an attempted murder case deemed unsolvable by veteran detectives. Kenda solved the case and was moved to the police department's homicide unit. He was promoted to sergeant in 1980, and returned to homicide in 1984.

As a homicide detective, Kenda solved 356 of 387 homicide cases, a closure rate of 92%.[4] Kenda credited his ability to close cases to being a student of human nature and being good at telling when people were lying.[8] His claim of solving 356 cases between 1977-1996 has been called into question by his colleagues.[9]

Kenda retired in August 1996 after an interrogation with an accused sex offender pushed Kenda to react violently.[10] Kenda had to be restrained from injuring the 74-year-old accused offender, who told Kenda he had abused his 5-year-old grandson because the boy had "come on to (him)".[10]

Kenda worked as a homicide detective with the Colorado Springs Police Department from 1977 to 1981, and 1984–1996.[6]

In the final episode of Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda, called "The End", the personal impact of his work in homicide is detailed, as is his retirement, work as a bus driver for special-needs students, and battle with post-traumatic stress disorder.[10][11][1][12]

Television career

In 2008, Denver television series editor Patrick Bryant contacted Kenda to discuss a television series about Kenda's career as a homicide detective. The series, Homicide Hunter: Lt Joe Kenda, aired in September 2011 on the Investigation Discovery network. Scene reenactments were filmed in Knoxville, Tennessee.[1] In its ninth season, Homicide Hunter was Investigation Discovery’s top show, averaging 1.7 million viewers each week in the third quarter of 2018.[9] The series finale, "The End", aired on January 29, 2020.[13]

In December 2020, Kenda began a new series, American Detective with Lt. Joe Kenda, with each episode featuring Kenda discussing the cases of different homicide detectives in the United States. It premiered on January 4, 2021 with the launch of the Discovery+ streaming service.[10][14][15]

Personal life

Kenda married his high school girlfriend, Mary Kathleen Kathy Mohler, on December 26, 1967. They have two children, Dan and Kris. Kenda's family appeared in two episodes of the Homicide Hunter, "Married to the Job", which aired on February 6, 2019, and in the series finale "The End" on January 29, 2020.[13]

Kenda lives in the Tidewater region of Virginia.[16]

See also

References
  1. Owen, Rob (August 2015). "Detective Joe Kenda now shares cases with viewers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  2. "Vows Exchanged in Greensburg". Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, PA. January 22, 1968. p. 14. Mary Kathleen Mohler, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William G. Mohler of Greensburg, recently became the bride of Joseph Patrick Kenda, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Kenda of Herminie.
  3. "Kathleen Mohler Becomes Engaged". Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, PA. December 21, 1966. p. 38. Mr. and Mrs. William G. Mohler of Greensburg have announced the engagement of their daughter, Kathleen, to Joseph Patrick Kenda.
  4. Crooks, Pete. "Exclusive Interview: Meet The Homicide Hunter". diablomag.com. Diablo Magazine. Archived from the original on November 12, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  5. Kenda, Detective Lt. Joe (2017). I Will Find You: Solving Killer Cases from My Life Fighting Crime. Center Street. pp. 16–20.
  6. Morlan, Angie (September 2015). "Face to Face in Falcon: He's a policeman – not an actor ... but". The New Falcon Herald. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  7. Owen, Rob (October 2, 2012). "Western Pa. native Joe Kenda starting 2nd year in 'Homicide Hunter'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  8. "'Homicide Hunter' makes former detective a star". The Columbus Dispatch. October 15, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  9. Wenzel, John (August 21, 2019). "Colorado Springs-based "Homicide Hunter" sets finale as Lt. Joe Kenda eyes next TV project". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  10. Turcotte, Sarah (January 29, 2020). "Lt. Joe Kenda Isn't Saying 'Case Closed' Yet". Vulture.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  11. Monji, Jana J. (January 29, 2020). "'Homicide Hunter' Finale: Lt. Joe Kenda Bids Farewell in 'The End'". Pasadena Art & Science Beat. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  12. Terrones, Terry (January 1, 2021). "Joe Kenda on his new series, the pandemic and why criminals are morons | Q&A". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  13. West, Terry (January 24, 2020). "My, My, My… Former Police Lieutenant Joe Kenda Retires 'Homicide Hunter'". Heart of the Rockies Radio. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  14. "Will There be a Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda S10?". The Cinema Holic. February 11, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  15. "Here Are All The Original Series Coming to discovery+ in 2021". The Streamable. December 2, 2020.
  16. McRary, Amy (December 1, 2017). "True crime stories of 'Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda' film throughout Knoxville". Knoxville News Sentinel. USA Today. Retrieved May 8, 2018.

Further reading
  • Kenda, Detective Lt. Joe (2017). I Will Find You: Solving Killer Cases from My Life Fighting Crime. Center Street. ISBN 978-1478922421.
  • Kenda, Joe (2021). Killer Triggers. Blackstone Publishing. ISBN 978-1982678357.
  • Kenda, Joe (2023). All Is Not Forgiven. Blackstone Publishing. ISBN 979-8200924356.
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