The murder of Marcy Renee Conrad (February 5, 1967 – November 3, 1981) was perpetrated by Anthony Jacques Broussard, a 16-year-old high school student. Conrad's death gained national attention due to the age of her killer, forcing a re-evaluation of California statutes regarding
juvenile sentencing for violent crimes.
The case triggered widespread media coverage, as a stark example of social disaffection among suburban youth.
The murder of Marcy Renee Conrad, and subsequent events, were the inspiration for the screenplay of the
Tim Hunter film ''
River's Edge''.
Murder
Marcy Renee Conrad, 14, was raped and killed by 16-year-old Anthony Jacques Broussard in his home in
Milpitas, California, on November 3, 1981. Her body was transported in Broussard's pickup truck into nearby hills and dumped in a ravine.
An autopsy confirmed that Conrad had been raped and then murdered by
strangulation
Strangling or strangulation is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain by restricting the flow of oxygen through the trachea. Fatal strangulation typically occurs ...
. In his later testimony, Broussard admitted to
having sex with Marcy's corpse after her death.
After the murder, Broussard invited friends from
Milpitas High School to view Conrad's corpse.
Reports indicate that Broussard bragged about her death at school, and showed the body to at least 10 people.
One of the students, 16-year-old Kirk Rassmussen kicked leaves over her body. He was later charged and sentenced to three years in a juvenile facility and charged as an accessory.
After two days, one student and one 18-year-old notified the police. When the other Milpitas students were asked why they had not alerted the police, they responded that they "did not want to get in trouble."
Broussard pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years to life. He was denied a new trial in 1985 and was repeatedly denied parole. As of April 6, 2023, Broussard has been paroled from
California State Prison, Solano
California State Prison, Solano (SOL) is a male-only List of California state prisons, state prison located in the city of Vacaville, California, Vacaville in Solano County, California, adjacent to California Medical Facility. The facility is als ...
.
[InmateLocator.cdcr.ca.gov ]
Broussard, Anthony Jacques Inmate #C56988
Retrieved April 18, 2023
In culture
The murder partially inspired the screenplay for the 1986 film ''
River's Edge''.
The murder, and ''River’s Edge'', are mentioned in
John Darnielle’s 2022 novel, ''
Devil House''.
See also
*
List of kidnappings
The following is a list of kidnappings summarizing the events of each case, including instances of celebrity abductions, claimed hoaxes, suspected kidnappings, extradition abductions, and mass kidnappings.
By date
* List of kidnappings befo ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conrad, Marcy Renee
Child murder in California
1967 births
1981 deaths
Deaths by person in California
Deaths by strangulation in the United States
Rapes in the United States
People murdered in California
C
1981 in California
1981 murders in the United States
Crime in the San Francisco Bay Area
Milpitas, California
History of the San Francisco Bay Area
November 1981 in the United States
Female murder victims
Incidents of violence against girls
Murder committed by minors