Bobby Kent: Murder Between Friends
“. . . They should be ashamed of what they did.”
On July 13, 1993, a group of six teen girls and boys from the pleasant community of Hollywood, Florida, a middle class suburb of Fort Lauderdale, gathered at a local Pizza Hut, as many do during the carefree days of summer. This congregation, however, wasn’t meeting up to nosh and socialize but to discuss how they were going to commit murder.
Their chosen victim was 20-year-old Bobby Kent, the only son of Fred and Farah Kent, who had immigrated to the States from Iran, changing their surname in the process. Fred was a successful stockbroker, allowing his family a privileged lifestyle. Bobby, popular, gregarious and handsome, had graduated from high school and attended community college. He was serious about bodybuilding and had entrepreneurial dreams — although those dreams were of a questionable nature.
Bobby’s best friend was Marty Puccio. He and Marty had met in the third grade and developed a friendship that was dysfunctional at best. Marty’s parents would recall the young boy coming home, after spending time with Bobby, covered in bruises and, at time, bleeding. The Puccios believed this was some form of roughhousing and encouraged their son to cut off contact with Bobby or at least limit it but apparently did not take any other kind of action. Sadly.
This love-hate relationship, with Bobby both being playful and punishing…