GUILTY TX - Yleen, 33, & Lillie Kennedy, 23, murdered in their Houston home, 5 March 1984

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http://blogs.houstonpress.com/news/...es_and_unsolved_murders_in_houston.php?page=2

Yleen and Lillie Kennedy lived together in a small house in the Heights in the early '80s. Yleen ran a small business selling antique clothing, and was known to keep antique jewelry and cash around the house.

On March 5, 1984, the bodies of both women were discovered by their father, who stopped by their house after the women, who were supposed to take their father to the doctor, didn't show.

Lillie, the younger of the two, had been shot to death. But unlike her sister's quick death, detectives believe Yleen suffered greatly before she died. An autopsy report revealed that Yleen had not only been shot, but was also stabbed, bludgeoned and raped.
 
http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/2015/01/15/hpd-receives-tip-to-break-open-cold-case/21831589/

Edmond Degan, a suspect with a criminal past, has been charged in Harris County's Probable Cause Court with capital murder.

Prosecutors told a judge that a witness came forward claiming that the 57-year-old Degan had come home on the day of the deaths and asked for a hammer. "He then began to beat a revolver into pieces and then ditch it behind the house," prosecutors said. "He then lit a fire and burned numerous items in a fire pit, including a lady's wallet and small papers"...

Prosecutors said a sexual assault kit was also performed on Yleen in 2009, but there was never a match until that witness came forward and Degan was tested. "A high-probability match was recorded," attorneys said.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/a...arged-in-1984-killing-in-the-heights/30748784

Court records show Degan has a lengthy criminal past. The year after the sisters' murders, he was convicted of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, followed by charges of assaulting a family member, terroristic threat and drug possession.

At this point Degan is only charged with Yleen's murder. He was denied bond and is due back in court Friday.
 
http://www.jamestownsun.com/news/crime/3657648-suspected-arrested-1984-murder-two-sisters-houston

Degan was identified to police when a man facing charges in an unrelated crime offered to share information about the murders.

"He tells his attorney, 'I want to get this out' and just started telling us the story," said Sergeant Paul Motard with the department's Homicide Division Cold Case Unit. "It was something this guy knew from the day it happened. He knew the defendant," Motard said...

Police arrested Degan on Wednesday after his DNA was found to match evidence from the scene.
 
Wow, i just read about this case and came here to see the arrest was made. He even admitted knowing her. what a sick piece of crap.The sister was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time coz Yleen was obviously the target.
 
Not sure I've heard the name before how is Yleen phonetically pronounced? In Aus the closest I can think would be Eileen? Anyhow would like to know more of the story if someone could share, but have to go off to snooze down under ! :bed:
 
Im Aussie too and never heard of it, I watched a crime show on it just before posting here and they pronounced it but I cannot for the life of me remember what the video was to go relisten haha. I was thinking Eileen too but i dont think it was. I think it was more WHY-LEEN
Like it was actually pronounced with the Y sound.
 
The beginning of this story says something about the memory of these murders fading.

I wonder if there is a really terrible crime in an area, if the locals become jaded or numb to newer ones...

I just thought of that since it's fairly close (within a couple miles) to where Dean Corll once lived, who left many families in a similar situation of not knowing (at least until he was killed and it all came to light).


HOUSTON – A lot has changed over the past 30 years in the 600 block of East 12th street in the Heights.

Memories of a gruesome murder have faded, as a new building now sits at the site where two women lost their lives on March 5, 1984.

They were sisters: 33-year old Yleen Kennedy and 23-year old Lillie. Most of their family has gone to the grave not knowing who killed them.
 
Whoa ! I just saw an article that referenced this case. They do not even have the arrest listed yet.
 
I am an acquaintance of one of these sisters family members. She and a sibling are the only surviving family of these two women. They were both children (little children) when the murders took place. She was reluctant to keep pursuing media attention for the case being that she was not really familiar with the details being a young child when it happened. However, the family was very committed to seeing the investigation through.

It took place in an area that was not particularly a hotspot for violent crime. And Houston has changed dramatically in the years that followed, with the population doubling and a high influx of non-native Houstonians.

The trial has been continuously delayed, but is in progress.
 
Yesterday on February 20, 2017 Edmond Degan plead guilty to the murder of Yleen Kennedy and was sentenced to 15 years incarceration. A family member read a victim impact statement on behalf of the Kennedy Family. After the reading, Edmond Degan replied, "I am truly sorry." Many would agree the lenient punishment does not fit the crime but may all those affected receive satisfaction in receiving an admission of guilt. The crime was punished under the laws on the day the murders occurred in 1984. Edmond Degan will be eligible for parole in approximately 5 years.
 
Depressing, right. ��

From my friend:

PLEASE HELP in the Protest Against the Parole of the Kennedy Sisters Killer

Edmond Degan, a violent criminal with a lengthy record, got away with murder for over 30 years before being charged. After serving less than 3 years (1/4 of his prison sentence), Murderer Edmond Degan is under review for Parole by the State of Texas.

On the morning of Monday, March 5, 1984, my Grandfather Jack left his house and walked around the corner to his daughter Yleen’s home after she had failed to show up to drive him to a doctor’s appointment. As he walked towards Yleen’s house located on East 12th Street in the Heights area, he noticed her door was open and he immediately suspected that something was terribly wrong. As he entered the entry way, he stumbled into a grisly murder scene. His youngest daughter, Lillie age 23, was fully clothed laying on the ground near the entry way with a single gunshot wound to the head. Just a few feet away, his other daughter, Yleen age 33, was laying on her living room floor in a night shirt with her panties around her ankles. Yleen had paper towels shoved down her throat to muffle her screams. She had been bludgeoned over the head multiple times with a blunt object and shot once in the arm. Her throat had been stabbed several times resulting in her death. The crime remained unsolved for several decades. My Grandparents and my Mother (the eldest sister of Yleen & Lillie) went to their graves never knowing what happened to their loved ones.

For over 30 years, the murders of the Kennedy sisters remained a cold case until a tip was received at the end of 2014. Mr. Edmond Degan was interviewed by police back in 1984 when the murders occurred. It wasn’t until a tip was called into HPD in 2014 that the investigation was turned towards Edmond Degan. Edmond Degan’s DNA came up as a High Probability DNA match collected from Yleen’s rape kit that had been preserved by HPD all of these years. The High Probability DNA match led to the arrest of Edmond Degan on January 14, 2015.

Edmond Degan remained in the Harris County Jail until February 20, 2017. The Defense and Prosecution came to a Plea Bargain agreement sentencing him to 15 years in state prison for the murder of Yleen Kennedy. As a part of the Plea Bargain, the Capital Murder charge was reduced to Murder by dropping the robbery and rape charges in the case. When Edmond Degan is released from prison, he will not be required to register as a sex offender because of the agreement of the Plea Bargain. According to the law, Edmond Degan cannot be prosecuted separately for the murder of Lillie Kennedy. He has never admitted to causing the death of Lillie and has never provided a motive for the murder of Yleen Kennedy.

As the law states, murderer Edmond Degan is eligible for parole after serving only ¼ of his sentence! I want to ask you how you would feel knowing this individual has the potential to be released back into society after serving only 2 years in Harris County jail and less than a year in state prison on a 15-year Plea Bargain sentence?

I can only hope that it is unlikely he would be granted parole so soon but let’s not forget he is already under Parole Review by the state of Texas and will be up for parole every subsequent year until his release. According to statistics, it is estimated Edmond Degan may only serve a couple of more years in state prison.

Let’s not ignore the fact that Edmond Degan has a lengthy criminal history that includes multiple Aggravated Robberies with a Deadly Weapon, Assault of a Family Member, Drug Possession charges and a Terroristic Threat charge. He literally got away with Murder for over 30 years before being charged. Who knows if there are other crimes Mr. Edmond Degan is responsible for that he has never been charged with. Do you feel safe having this individual released back into society including quite possibly in your very own neighborhood?

Edmond Degan is a graduate of Houston’s Lamar High School and prior to his arrest had been residing with his elderly mother in his childhood home on Locke Lane in the Upper Kirby/River Oaks area. Unknowingly I have been living just a few miles down the street from my Aunts' murderer for the past decade. A couple of months before his arrest, I just happened to move 1 mile from his home. Are you comfortable knowing this man could be your neighbor, living by your children’s schools and walking amongst us?


If you feel Edmond Degan is a danger to our society, I plead that you please send in an email or letter of protest to the Parole Board. Their decision can be reached in as little as 2 months’ time. My Grandmother and Grandfather along with my Mother are not here to protest the parole of the Kennedy sister's murderer. The victims, Yleen and Lillie, do not have a voice either. I will do everything in my power to fight Edmond Degan’s release but I am asking for help from my family, friends and our community.

Please remember this is only 1 case as there are many other victims & families affected by similar tragedies. I encourage you to check into the POMC.com website’s Parole Block section and look under the “Current Petitions” link to fill out petitions blocking other criminals guilty of heinous murders from early release.

Please submit protest emails and letters on behalf of the Kennedy Sisters, Lillie & Yleen, to the Victim Services Division in Austin, Texas. All protest information is confidential. The requestor must submit their protest in writing and should explain in detail the reason(s) for the protest. This can include details of the offense, the impact of the offense and any fears or concerns. Protest letters can be emailed, faxed, or mailed.

Please make sure to include on the Email/Letter/Fax/:
Offender Edmond Degan
State ID# 02015096
TDCJ# 02116951 (UPDATED - Original Post has the Harris County TDCJ# listed)

Mailing Address:
Victim Services Division
8712 Shoal Creek Blvd., Suite 265
Austin, TX 78757-6899

Fax:
(512) 452-0825

E-mail:
victim.svc@tdcj.texas.gov

If you would like to verify Edmond Degan’s Parole Review date, please feel free to call (800) 848-4284 and provide his State ID# and TDCJ# that is listed above.

The Kennedy family gives thanks for your much needed support during this trying time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Does anyone know when their parents died? Rose and Jack
 
Does anyone know when their parents died? Rose and Jack

Unfortunately neither parent, Jack or Rose, lived long enough to see the case be solved. Father Jack passed away in 1998 and Mother Rose passed away in 2007. Yleen, Lillie and their parents were laid to rest in Geiger Cemetery outside of Mother Rose's hometown of Hallettsville, TX.
 

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