Lyle Brummett: The Kerrville Killer
Overview
Lyle Richard Brummett is a convicted serial killer responsible for the rape and murder of three young women in Texas between 1975 and 1976. Along with an accomplice, Allen Ladd Woody, Brummett terrorized communities in Kerrville and Austin. His crimes were marked by brutal violence and a chilling lack of remorse. After his capture for one murder, he confessed to two others, leading investigators to the long-hidden remains of his first victims. In a deal to avoid the death penalty, Brummett testified against his accomplice and received two life sentences. He has been incarcerated since 1977, and his repeated bids for parole have been consistently denied, largely due to the tireless efforts of his victims' families.
Early Life and Background
Lyle Richard Brummett was born on December 26, 1956, in Kerrville, Texas. Little is publicly known about his childhood, but as an adult, Brummett claimed he dropped out of high school due to a lack of interest and conflicts with teachers. He subsequently found work driving trucks for lumberyards. He developed interests in outdoor activities like sailing, camping, and fishing.
Brummett later told psychiatrists that he experienced his first violent "outburst" with a girl around 1974 and that subsequent psychiatric help had been ineffective. His documented criminal history began in July 1975 with a burglary arrest under the alias "Lyle Richard Stone." He was later arrested for two rapes and credit card abuse, for which he was out on a $17,500 bond when he committed his first murders.
The Murders of Carol Ann London and Elizabeth Pearson
On the evening of September 17, 1975, 18-year-old Carol Ann London and 16-year-old Elizabeth "Beth" Pearson were driving near Kerrville when their car broke down. The two young women accepted a ride from Brummett, then 18, and his 19-year-old friend, Allen Ladd Woody. Instead of helping them, Brummett and Woody drove the women to an isolated pasture about 12 miles east of Kerrville.
In this remote location, both women were raped and strangled. Their bodies were left under an oak tree, hidden from view. The next day, the abandoned car was found near the courthouse, and some of their clothes were discovered by highway workmen along I-10, but the girls themselves had vanished. For nearly a year, their disappearance remained a painful mystery.
The Murder of Dianne Kathleen Roberts
After the murders in Kerrville, Brummett moved to Austin and found work as an electrician. On August 15, 1976, he was at the home of Dianne Kathleen Roberts, a 22-year-old unemployed secretary he had recently befriended. Before leaving her house that day, Brummett loosened a window screen, planning to return.
Later that night, he used the compromised window to enter the house. He raped and strangled Roberts, leaving her nude body on her bed with a pillowcase wrapped around her neck. The following day, August 16, her body was discovered by her boyfriend, local rock musician Jesse Sublett, who was returning from an out-of-town performance.
The Victims
- Carol Ann London, 18 — September 17, 1975, Kerrville, Texas. Little public information is available about Carol's life. She and her friend Elizabeth were tragically murdered after their car broke down.
- Elizabeth Luella "Beth" Vallance Pearson, 16 — September 17, 1975, Kerrville, Texas. Elizabeth was with her friend Carol when they accepted a ride from their killers. Few details about her life have been publicly shared.
- Dianne Kathleen Roberts, 22 — August 15, 1976, Austin, Texas. Described by her boyfriend Jesse Sublett in his memoir, "Never the Same Again," Dianne was a vibrant and beloved part of the Austin music scene. Their relationship was idyllic, and her murder left a devastating and lasting impact on those who knew and loved her.
Investigation and Capture
Eyewitnesses who had seen Brummett at Dianne Roberts' house on the day of her murder quickly led police to him. He was arrested in Travis County on August 16, 1976, just a day after the crime.
While in custody for Roberts' murder, Brummett made a shocking confession: he and Allen Ladd Woody had killed two other young women the previous year. He provided investigators with directions to the remote pasture in Kerr County where he and Woody had left the bodies of Carol Ann London and Elizabeth Pearson. Police followed his directions and, on August 18, 1976, discovered the decomposing remains of the two missing teenagers.
Following the confession, both Brummett and Woody were charged with capital murder and held in separate county jails. While incarcerated, Brummett's violent behavior continued. On September 20, 1976, he and three other inmates bound, gagged, and sexually assaulted a 17-year-old fellow inmate.
In February 1977, Brummett orchestrated an escape. He convinced police he could lead them to the body of another supposed victim of Woody's. During a search near the Guadalupe River, Brummett, who was in civilian clothes, asked to use the restroom at the police station and simply walked out undetected. After attending a party where he was recognized, Brummett called the police himself on February 5 and asked to be picked up. Soon after, he sent a letter to *The Austin American-Statesman* expressing a wish to be executed.
Trial and Sentence
To avoid a potential death sentence, Brummett agreed to testify against his accomplice, Allen Ladd Woody. In April 1977, at Woody's trial, Brummett claimed that Woody had raped and strangled Beth Pearson, while admitting that he himself had murdered Carol Ann London out of fear she would identify them.
Based largely on Brummett's testimony, Allen Ladd Woody was found guilty of Pearson's murder and sentenced to 99 years in prison. As part of his plea deal, the murder charge against Brummett for Pearson's death was dropped.
Following Woody's trial, Brummett was returned to Kerrville. On April 21, 1977, he pleaded guilty to the murder of Carol Ann London and was sentenced to life in prison. Five days later, on April 27, he received a second life sentence for the murder of Dianne Kathleen Roberts.
Aftermath and Legacy
Lyle Brummett has been incarcerated in the Texas prison system since 1977, currently residing at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston. He became eligible for parole in 1982 and has applied for release on multiple occasions. Each time, his parole has been denied, a result of the steadfast opposition from the families of his victims and their advocates, who attend every hearing to argue against his release.
The murder of Dianne Roberts had a profound and lasting impact on her boyfriend, Jesse Sublett. He chronicled the murder, its aftermath, and his own subsequent battle with cancer in his acclaimed 2004 memoir, "Never the Same Again: A Rock 'N' Roll Gothic." The book provides a harrowing, personal account of the trauma inflicted by Brummett's crimes and ensured that Dianne's story would not be forgotten.
Allen Ladd Woody was convicted for his role in the murders of London and Pearson and sentenced to 99 years. An obituary for a John Burton Woody from 2009 lists an "Allen Woody" as a deceased brother, but it is unconfirmed if this is the same individual. The lasting pain and fear caused by Brummett and Woody's brutal actions continue to affect the families and communities they shattered.
