TX TX - Kenneth Mahnken, 20, Houston, 29 Sept 1979

[Winward1]

He was a relative of mine, was shot while a passenger in a car. It's as cold a case as they get.

 

[Kat]

I'm very sorry for your loss Winward. I tried to search to find articles outlining the details of what happened to your relative and I can find nothing so far. Perhaps someone else can, or you can fill us in on details?

 

[Winward1]

I will see if I can get a few more details on it. Thanks.

 

[Winward1]

Speaking of articles, I know some publications only go back so far. It seems to me they should make an exception for cold cases, eh?

 

[Winward1]

Finally got some more info on this. Ken Mahnken was in the back seat of a car that was being driven by his sister's Laura's then husband, Mike.

They were on the 610 Loop in Houston near the Woodway exit, somewhere around 8 p.m. on the 29th of September, 1979. He died on the the 5th of October and was buried on the 8th, the day after his 21st birthday.

At the time of the shooting, they were all going to some club or something, where they were supposed to meet Ken's other sister, Eileen and a friend.

Ken was shot in the head. I just sent a note to get more info on this.

 

[Winward1]

Just received a bit more information: witnesses did see the car that the shot came from. It was a pickup truck which pulled up next to them with three young hispanic guys in it.

 

[RIGHTEOUS1]

That's a tough case you need a confession or someone who heard a story if 3 people are in a car somebody's going to talk about it.

 

[Winward1]

Indeed. 30 plus years later, too.

 

[Winward1]

I asked my Aunt about this and she said there was virtually no press coverage of my cousin's shooting. So I called Houston PD today, requesting any info on it. They said all info pre-1980 (this was that by about two months) is on microfilm. They will research it and get back to me. If I recall my Aunt told me they had so many shootings there back then that it wouldn't be surprising if one didn't make the news.

 

[Winward1]

Houston PD called me back today. The officer there said the microfilm file only contained the police report written by the patrol officer and it's very limited. He said he wants to see if all of the witnesses were brought down to the homicide unit and interviewed. So he has requested the case file, which may take a few days. He said witnesses in the car were:

Laura Mahnken (also my cousin)

Mike Burford (Laura's then boyfriend)

George Smith

 

[Winward1]

Talked to Houston PD. This one looks like it started with a road rage incident. Burford was put under hypnosis in order to try to draw out more info. They got a partial plate number out of it but they weren't able to get anywhere with it.

 

[:+:MrTT:+:]

Talked to Houston PD. This one looks like it started with a road rage incident. Burford was put under hypnosis in order to try to draw out more info. They got a partial plate number out of it but they weren't able to get anywhere with it.

If they have cold case playing cards in the Texas department of corrections.
They should include your cousin. Do they have such a program?

 

[Winward1]

Good question. I don't know.

 

[CastlesBurning]

Bumping for Kenneth - it's now been 43 years.