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Writer's pictureRochelle Gridley

Murder Among Friends


On May 17, 1941 a murder occurred outside Colfax, Illinois. A satisfactory reason for the murder was never expressed by the confessed murderer, who had purchased his weapon under a false name just days before he pulled the trigger.

Lyle Kennedy, 27, and Dwyer Dameron, 19, were said to be long time friends. In fact, Dwyer was said to be Lyle's best friend. Yet Lyle testified that something had told him a week earlier that he should "do away" with his friend. Lyle was said to be a member of a prosperous farming family in McLean County, yet no mention was made of his family in any of the trial reports. He was constantly referred to as a "youth" in the Pantagraph although he appeared to be living on his own and farming his own land. In this photo of his questioning by Sheriff Nierstheimer and Deputy Christensen he seems a rather cool character, almost like a character out of film noir.

On the night in question Lyle Kennedy visited his doctor in Colfax at 8:20 with regard to his blood pressure. He says that when he returned to his car he noticed Dwyer's parked next to his own. He went into the Shady Nook where Dwyer was with a group of friends, dancing. Lyle asked him to come outside to see something he wanted to show Dwyer. Dwyer asked him to wait while he had another dance. Lyle waited through two more dances and then the two men left and drove to a local "lovers lane." They both exited the car, according to Lyle's testimony at trial and Lyle showed Dwyer the gun. Dwyer loaded the gun and then urinated beside the road. It was at that moment that Lyle said he held the gun to the back of his friend's head and pulled the trigger. He said then that "I became so excited I didn't know what to do with myself." Lyle continued on to the home of a auto mechanic and arranged for an engine repair. From there he continued to the Shady Nook where he talked with people outside the restaurant.

Two men who left the Shady Nook not long after Lyle and Dwyer discovered Dwyer's body on the road and called the authorities. They reported that the last person seen with Dwyer was Lyle, and the police went directly to Lyle Kennedy's home. Kennedy first disclaimed involvement, but then gave a written confession, saying he killed Dwyer out of jealousy. But the sheriff was still puzzled over what jealousy could have prompted his actions.

The trial came rather swiftly after the May 17 murder. Jury selection started September 9 and a verdict was announced September 21. The jury included six women and six men, and this time there were no motions to exclude women from the jury. The jury was strictly controlled, with the members spending nights at the county building. Lyle's defense was mental illness, but was not supported by expert testimony. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison and began his sentence September 28, 1941.

Lyle Kennedy died June 30, 1988 in Decatur, Illinois. His father had died in 1960 and at that time Lyle was living in Peoria, indicating that he served less than 19 years for the murder of his friend. In 1988 his obituary noted that he was a retail salesman in Decatur. His funeral was a private one in the Wiley Cemetery and there was no visitation.

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