Joe Kenda

{{Infobox police officer

|name = Joe Kenda

|image =

|caption =

|birth_name = Joseph Patrick Kenda

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|November 14, 1946}}

|birth_place = Herminie, Pennsylvania, U.S.

|spouse = Mary Kathleen Mohler (since 1967)

|department = Colorado Springs Police Department

|service = United States

|serviceyears = 1973–1996

|rank = Lieutenant

|laterwork = Documentary television star, Author

}}

Joseph Patrick Kenda (born November 14, 1946){{cite news |date=January 22, 1968 |title=Vows Exchanged in Greensburg |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qLcpAAAAIBAJ&pg=1825%2C2455323 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |location=Pittsburgh, PA |page=14 |quote=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.}}{{cite news |date=December 21, 1966 |title=Kathleen Mohler Becomes Engaged |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19661221&id=cb0bAAAAIBAJ&pg=6783,1954310&hl=en |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |location=Pittsburgh, PA |page=38 |quote=Mr. and Mrs. William G. Mohler of Greensburg have announced the engagement of their daughter, Kathleen, to Joseph Patrick Kenda.}} 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%.{{cite web|last1=Crooks|first1=Pete|title=Exclusive Interview: Meet The Homicide Hunter|url=http://www.diablomag.com/D-blog/Petes-Popcorn-Picks/September-2012/Exclusive-Interview-Meet-the-Homicide-Hunter/|website=diablomag.com|publisher=Diablo Magazine|accessdate=November 12, 2014|archive-date=November 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112053152/http://www.diablomag.com/D-blog/Petes-Popcorn-Picks/September-2012/Exclusive-Interview-Meet-the-Homicide-Hunter/|url-status=dead}} He was featured on the Investigation Discovery television show Homicide Hunter, on which series he recounted stories of cases that he had solved. Kenda hosts the Discovery+ show American Detective With Lt. Joe Kenda.

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.{{cite book|last=Kenda|first=Detective Lt. Joe|title=I Will Find You: Solving Killer Cases from My Life Fighting Crime|date=2017|publisher=Center Street|pages=16–20}}

He graduated from Greensburg Central Catholic High School in 1964.{{cite news |last1=Morlan |first1=Angie |date=September 2015 |title=Face to Face in Falcon: He's a policeman – not an actor ... but |work=The New Falcon Herald |url=http://www.newfalconherald.com/DisplayArticle.php?ArticleID=8239 |accessdate=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104124/http://www.newfalconherald.com/DisplayArticle.php?ArticleID=8239 |archive-date=March 4, 2016}} He attended the University of Pittsburgh, and married his high school girlfriend, Mary Kathleen Mohler, on December 26, 1967.{{cite news |last1=Owen |first1=Rob |date=October 2, 2012 |title=Western Pa. native Joe Kenda starting 2nd year in 'Homicide Hunter' |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2012/10/02/Western-Pa-native-Joe-Kenda-starting-2nd-year-in-Homicide-Hunter/stories/201210020187 |url-access=subscription |accessdate=September 23, 2015}} 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. After working at his father's trucking business, Kenda joined the Colorado Springs Police Department in 1973.{{cite news |last1= |first1= |date=October 15, 2015 |title='Homicide Hunter' makes former detective a star |work=The Columbus Dispatch |url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/entertainment/television/2013/10/15/homicide-hunter-makes-former/23372590007/ |accessdate=June 1, 2023}}

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%. Kenda credited his ability to close cases to being a student of human nature and being good at telling when people were lying. His claim of solving 356 cases between 1977-1996 has been called into question by his colleagues.{{Cite web |last=Wenzel |first=John |date=August 21, 2019 |title=Colorado Springs-based "Homicide Hunter" sets finale as Lt. Joe Kenda eyes next TV project |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2019/08/21/colorado-springs-based-homicide-hunter-sets-finale-as-lt-joe-kenda-eyes-next-tv-project/ |access-date=2023-06-01 |website=The Denver Post |language=en-US}}

Kenda retired in August 1996 after an interrogation with an accused sex offender pushed Kenda to react violently. 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)".

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

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.{{Cite web |last=Monji |first=Jana J. |date=January 29, 2020 |title='Homicide Hunter' Finale: Lt. Joe Kenda Bids Farewell in 'The End' |url=https://ageofthegeek.org/2020/01/29/homicide-hunter-finale-lt-joe-kenda-bids-farewell-in-the-end/ |access-date=June 1, 2023 |website=Pasadena Art & Science Beat |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Owen |first1=Rob |date=August 2015 |title=Detective Joe Kenda now shares cases with viewers |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=https://www.pressreader.com/usa/pittsburgh-post-gazette/20150818/281977491359629 |access-date=June 1, 2023}}{{Cite web |last=Terrones |first=Terry |date=January 1, 2021 |title=Joe Kenda on his new series, the pandemic and why criminals are morons {{!}} Q&A |url=https://gazette.com/arts-entertainment/joe-kenda-on-his-new-series-the-pandemic-and-why-criminals-are-morons-q-a/article_1de452d2-3ff2-11eb-9c21-eb589298cb5f.html |access-date=June 1, 2023 |website=Colorado Springs Gazette |language=en}}

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. 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. The series finale, "The End", aired on January 29, 2020.{{Cite web |last=West |first=Terry |date=January 24, 2020 |title=My, My, My… Former Police Lieutenant Joe Kenda Retires 'Homicide Hunter' |url=https://heartoftherockiesradio.com/my-my-my-lt-joe-kenda-retires-homicide-hunter/ |access-date=June 1, 2023 |website=Heart of the Rockies Radio |language=en-US}}

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.{{cite web |last=Turcotte |first=Sarah |date=January 29, 2020 |title=Lt. Joe Kenda Isn't Saying 'Case Closed' Yet |url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/08/joe-kenda-homicide-hunter-investigation-discovery.html#:~:text=And%20I%20put%20my%20memorandum,Very%20truly%20yours%2C%20Me.%E2%80%9D |access-date=June 1, 2023 |website=Vulture.com}}{{cite news|url=https://www.thecinemaholic.com/homicide-hunter-netflix/|title=Will There be a Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda S10?|date=February 11, 2020|access-date=July 29, 2020|newspaper=The Cinemaholic |last1=Ray |first1=Shiladitya }}{{cite web|url=https://thestreamable.com/news/here-are-all-the-original-series-coming-to-discovery-plus-in-2021|title=Here Are All The Original Series Coming to discovery+ in 2021|date=December 2, 2020|website=The Streamable}}

Personal life

Kenda and his wife Mary 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.

Kenda lives in the Tidewater region of Virginia.{{cite news|url= https://www.knoxnews.com/story/entertainment/2017/12/01/true-crime-homicide-hunter-joe-kenda-jupiter-entertainment-filmed-knoxvlle-murder-homicide/822243001/|title=True crime stories of 'Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda' film throughout Knoxville|first=Amy|last=McRary|work= Knoxville News Sentinel|publisher= USA Today| date= December 1, 2017|accessdate= May 8, 2018}}

Cold cases resolved

After his retirement, two unsolved cases that Kenda had investigated during his career were finally solved in 2021 with the use of DNA: the homicides of Darlene Krashoc in 1987[https://popculture.com/tv-shows/news/lt-joe-kenda-puts-rest-cases-that-haunted-him-night-3-new-homicide-hunter-specials-exclusive/ Lt. Joe Kenda Puts to Rest Cases That Haunted Him at Night in 3 New 'Homicide Hunter' Specials (Exclusive)] by Anna Rumer, August 17, 2022 and Mary Lynn Vialpando in 1988.[http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2023/03/03/a-case-30-years-in-the-making-finally-gets-justice-in-homicide-hunter-the-man-with-no-face-63511/20230303id02/ A Case 30 Years in the Making Finally Gets Justice in "Homicide Hunter: The Man with No Face]

Writing career

On July 25, 2023, Kenda's debut novel All Is Not Forgiven was released by Blackstone Publishing. It is a fictionalized account of the rookie Det. Kenda’s investigation of a case in the year 1975.