Joe Kenda
| Joe Kenda | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 28, 1946 Herminie, Pennsylvania |
| Police career | |
| Department | Colorado Springs Police Department |
| Country | United States |
| Years of service | 1973–1996 |
| Rank |
Lieutenant 
|
| Other work | Documentary television star |
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kenda (born August 28, 1946) is a former Colorado Springs Police Department detective who solved 387 homicides in his career. He is featured on the Investigation Discovery television show Homicide Hunter, where he recounts stories of cases he has solved.
Kenda grew up in the western Pennsylvania town of Herminie, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles from Pittsburgh. His uncle, father, and grandfather were coal miners; his grandfather died in a 1933 mining accident. His mother was originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado. At a young age, Kenda was fascinated with crime, especially murder. He recalls a childhood trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo, where a sign near the primate house declared, "Around this corner is the most dangerous animal on Earth"; turning a corner Kenda found himself staring into a mirror.
He graduated from Greensburg Central Catholic High School in 1964. He attended the University of Pittsburgh, and he married his high school girlfriend Mary Kathleen "Kathy" Mohler in 1967. After graduating with a B.A. in political science, Kenda earned a master's degree in international relations from Ohio State University in 1970. He abandoned plans for a career with the Foreign Service after a classified briefing with the Central Intelligence Agency left him unimpressed. He worked for a time at his father's trucking business. In 1973, Kenda, his wife and two children moved to Colorado Springs, where he joined the police department.
With the Colorado Springs Police Department, Kenda eventually became a detective. He worked in homicides for over 19 years and eventually lead the homicide department. “I loved the work,” he said. “My wife – not so much.” He solved 92 percent of assault cases, which he credited to being a student of human nature and being good at telling when people were lying. In 1990, he investigated the case of a woman named Dianne Hood who was murdered at a lupus support group meeting by an attacker who took her purse. According to Kenda, the case "met the standard for a Hollywood plot" and received a great deal of media attention, including a People magazine story and several books.
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