Ronald Keith Allridge (September 27, 1960 – June 8, 1995) and James Vernon Allridge III (November 14, 1962 – August 26, 2004) were American brothers and serial killers who killed three people and committed numerous armed robberies in Fort Worth, Texas, during a crime spree in early 1985. For their crimes, the Allridge brothers were sentenced to death and subsequently executed by lethal injection; Ronald in 1995 and James in 2004.
Early life
Allridge was born on September 27, 1960, in West Germany, where his father was stationed at the time as part of the military. Two years later, on November 14, 1962, his younger brother James was born. In 1969, the family returned to U.S., settling in Fort Worth, Texas, later moving into a home at 2425 Annglen Drive where Ronald and James shared an attic bedroom.
Ronald was described by his gym teacher at O.D. Wyatt High School as shy and quiet. James, on the other hand, was described as outgoing and was popular among students at his high school.
Crimes
1976 murder
In March 1976, 15-year-old Ronald robbed a local department store; he stole several watches and three guns with multiple boxes of ammunition. Afterwards, he began regularly bringing one of the guns to his high school, which he showed off to fellow students and told them he was ready to shoot someone. On April 12, 1976, Ronald brought the gun to school and, once surrounded by an audience of students outside the boys' restroom, fatally shot 15-year-old Lorenzo Kneeland in the chest and abdomen. Another student, 15-year-old James Christian, was also shot, but he survived. The motive was reportedly unclear, although Lorenzo and Ronald had fought in the past over either a girl or a burglary dispute.
Ronald was apprehended by police while walking along Old Mansfield Highway, still in possession of the gun. While in custody, a psychologist diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia. In 1977 he pleaded guilty to the crime, receiving a sentence of 10-years imprisonment at the Texas Department of Corrections Ferguson Unit. In 1983 he was released from prison with no parole to be required, after which he got a job at a restaurant, but from which he was fired in late 1984 after his boss got tired of him showing up late.
1985 crime spree
In the months following his firing, Ronald and his brother James committed a series of armed robberies in and around Fort Worth. In some of these robberies they were aided by another pair of brothers, Clarence and Milton Jarmon. These robberies would be mentioned in the sentencing phases for Ronald and James.
On January 14, 1985, Ronald committed an armed robbery at a Crusty's Pizza shop in Fort Worth. During the robbery, he fatally shot 19-year-old Buddy Joe Webster Jr., an employee present, with a .22-caliber pistol. Ronald later stated that after the murder, he simply went home and went to sleep as if nothing had happened.
On February 3, 1985, the Allridge brothers drove to a convenience store in Fort Worth. James, a former employee there, knew where the combination to the store's safe was kept. Ronald dropped James off and parked around the corner to wait. The store was closed, but a clerk, 21-year-old Brian Clendennen, was there. James asked Clendennen for change so he could make a payphone call. Clendennen recognized James, unlocked the doors for him, and gave him some change. After James pretended to use the payphone and left, Clendennen re-locked the doors.
After James returned to the car, Ronald accused him of getting cold feet, prompting him to go back to the store. After Clendennen re-opened the doors, James produced a .25-caliber pistol at him and forced his way inside. He took Clendennen into the storeroom and tied his hands behind his back with an electrical cord. As he was emptying the cash register and safe, James heard a noise from the storeroom, prompting him to go back, where he saw that Clendennen had moved. He then forced him to his knees and shot him twice in the back of the head.
After returning to the car, James decided to check if Clendennen was dead. However, he saw a woman in the store's parking lot and decided to flee. The woman was Doris Clendennen, Brian's mother, who had come to pick her son up from work. After James fled, she went inside the store, saw loose change on the floor, and immediately left to call the police from a nearby restaurant. The police found Brian in the storeroom, still alive, but he died from his injuries the following day.