Kendall Francois' house

This is the former home of serial killer Kendall Francois.

It is located at 99 Fulton Avenue in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Nicknamed "The Poughkeepsie Killer," Francois murdered eight women between 1996 and 1998.

His victims were found concealed in the crawlspace and attic.

Kendall Francois

Francois was a large man. Mugshots indicate he was about 6 feet 4 inches tall. Growing up, he was repeatedly teased about his size.

In 1989, he joined the United States Army but was discharged five years later because of obesity.

In April 1996, he became a hall and detention monitor at Arlington Middle School on Lamb Road. The students there nicknamed him "Stinky" due to his body odor.

Although he was reportedly quiet and pleasant, there were times when he acted inappropriately around some of the girls. Students recalled that he would touch their hair, tell sexual jokes, and make inappropriate remarks.

Murders

Francois frequently picked up sex workers. Some victims considered him a regular client.

His first victim was 30-year-old Wendy Meyers, whom he strangled during an argument about money. He then placed her body in a garbage bag and carried it to the attic.

The other victims were Gina Barone (29), Catherine Marsh (31), Kathleen Hurley (47), Mary Healey Giaccone (29), Sandra Jean French (51), Audrey Pugliese (34), and Catina Newmaster (25).

The women were sex workers, many of whom struggled with substance abuse.

Francois hid the first three women in his attic. When the attic became crowded, he began using the crawlspace under his porch.

Initially, police believed another missing woman, Michelle Eason, was also a victim. However, they revised this theory because Eason's body was not found inside the house, and she was African American, whereas the other victims were white.

Discovery

His killings ended on September 1, 1998, after a woman he attempted to strangle in his bedroom broke free and convinced him to let her go.

Francois agreed to drive the woman back to where he picked her up, but she jumped from the vehicle and ran away en route.

Following his arrest, Francois quickly confessed to the murders.

His involvement did not surprise detectives, as he was already a suspect because of his reputation for violence toward sex workers.

One year earlier, the police had surveilled his home on Fulton Avenue while investigating the disappearance of a local sex worker. Although they inspected the property, they failed to find anything justifying a search warrant.

The police arrived at this address in the early hours of September 2, 1998, and immediately began searching the house. After finding his victims' remains, they charged the 27-year-old with eight counts of first-degree murder.

Francois lived at the residence with his parents and older sister.

Police reports indicate the house smelled putrid, as rooms and hallways were filled with garbage. Empty bottles, food, piles of clothes, old newspapers, and broken furniture were strewn everywhere. The cabinets, sinks, and closets were also filled with junk.

The stench was so overpowering that investigators had to put on respirators before entering the property.

Passersby were reportedly so repulsed by the smell that they retreated from the house.

The poor sanitary conditions may explain why Francois' family failed to detect the smell of decomposing remains.

In 2000, Francois pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty. Shortly after, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

During legal proceedings, Francois' lawyer told the court that his client had HIV.

On September 11, 2014, Kendall Francois died from an AIDS-related illness at the age of 43.