When A Group Of High Schoolers Took Out The Class Bully

When A Group Of High Schoolers Took Out The Class Bully

The Tragic True Story Behind the Film “Bully”

It’s a tale as old as time – the class bully who terrorizes their peers, only to eventually meet their comeuppance. But in the case of Bobby Kent, the consequences went far beyond a simple schoolyard scuffle. This is the chilling true story that inspired the controversial 2001 film “Bully.”

Born in Hollywood, Florida in 1973, Bobby Kent was the son of Iranian immigrants Fred and Farrah Kent (who later anglicized their surname). From a young age, Kent was described as an “irritatingly insincere” character, popular with adults but not so much with his peers.

Kent’s closest friend growing up was neighbor Martin “Marty” Puccio. However, the relationship between the two boys was far from healthy. Rumors swirled that the two were abusing steroids, and Marty’s parents often saw him return home bloody and bruised after spending time with Bobby.

In 1993, when the boys were in their late teens, Marty started dating 18-year-old Lisa Connelly. But Lisa felt that Marty was spending too much time with Bobby, and she wanted more of his attention. So she fixed Marty up with her 17-year-old best friend, Allison “Ally” Willis.

The Deadly Plot Against Bobby Kent

It was around this time that Marty finally confided in Lisa about the lifetime of abuse he had endured from Bobby. Lisa, in turn, told Marty that she was pregnant with his child and wanted a committed relationship – but only if Marty ended his friendship with Bobby. Marty was reluctant, fearing how Bobby would react to the rejection.

Lisa, Ally, and their friends Donald Semenec, Heather Swallers, and the Dereks – Kaufman and Jerko – began to hatch a plan to get rid of Bobby Kent for good. According to the group, Bobby had made deadly threats against Ally and her child from a previous relationship if she didn’t resume her romance with him.

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On the night of July 13, 1993, the group lured Bobby to a secluded area, with the intention of killing him. Marty, Donald, and Heather lost their nerve at the last minute and left, but Lisa and Ally remained determined to carry out the plan. They convinced Bobby to drive them to a different location, where Lisa planned to shoot him while he was distracted. However, when the time came, she found herself unable to pull the trigger.

Undeterred, the group then sought out a 20-year-old self-styled hitman named Derek Kaufman to do the deed. But he couldn’t get an untraceable gun that night, so they had to postpone. The next evening, the group reconvened at Marty’s house to make a new plan.

The Brutal Murder

This time, the group was armed with a baseball bat, a lead pipe, and two knives. Marty called Bobby and lured him out, hinting that he would get to be intimate with Ally again. Around 11:30 pm, the group picked Bobby up from his home and took him to a construction site in the nearby town of Weston.

Once there, Ally and Heather distracted Bobby while Donald snuck up from behind and stabbed him in the back of the neck. Then Donald, Marty, and Derek Kaufman repeatedly attacked Bobby with the knives and the baseball bat until he succumbed to his injuries.

After the murder, the group carefully erased their tire tracks and footprints from the scene and disposed of their weapons in the ocean. They then dumped Bobby’s body into a nearby marsh, hoping it would be eaten by alligators.

The Aftermath and Convictions

Despite coming up with fake alibis, several members of the group broke down and confessed to their family members over the next few days. Ally even anonymously reported the murder to Crime Stoppers, naming Lisa and Marty as the culprits. Meanwhile, Lisa told her mother, who then told her sister – and Derek Jerko’s mother – about the crime. Jerko then confessed everything to the police and led them to Bobby Kent’s body.

The entire group was arrested and tried for the killing. Marty Puccio was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death by electrocution, though that sentence was later commuted to life in prison by the Florida Supreme Court in 1997, where he remains today.

Donald Semenec was convicted of second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, and was sentenced to life in prison plus another 15 years. Derek Kaufman was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and sentenced to life plus 30 years.

Lisa Connelly was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, though that sentence was commuted to 22 years in 1998. She was released in 2004 after serving 9 years. Ally Willis was convicted of second-degree murder and served 6 years in prison before being released in 2001. Derek Jerko pled guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy, and served 5 years before being released in 1999. Heather Swallers pled to the same crimes and served 3 years until her release in 1998.

The Controversial Film Adaptation

The murder of Bobby Kent would become the subject of Jim Schutze’s 1997 book “Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge.” That book would then be adapted into the 2001 crime drama “Bully,” directed by Larry Clark and starring Brad Renfro, Bijou Phillips, and Nick Stahl.

With its graphic violence and sex scenes, the film was highly controversial. It centers on the complicated relationship between Bobby (played by Stahl) and Marty (played by Renfro), and posits that the crime grew out of the aimless and brutal day-to-day existence of South Florida teenagers and the effects of a violent subculture of sex workers that the two may have been mixed up in.

The film was highly praised by Roger Ebert, though it drew mixed reviews from other critics who generally considered it too exploitative. Ally Willis has gone on record as saying the scenes depicting the actual murder were mostly accurate to the real-life events, but Marty Puccio, who never saw the film, said “what I’ve heard of it is it’s off quite a bit.”

Despite its limited theatrical release, “Bully” has had a lasting impact on public opinion. In 2021, one person even launched a Change.org petition pleading for the release of Marty Puccio, which as of this writing has collected over 1,700 signatures.

The Lasting Legacy – When A Group Of High Schoolers Took Out The Class Bully

In the years since the crime, some of the perpetrators have expressed remorse for their actions. Ally Willis, in particular, has said she didn’t know the group was planning to kill Bobby Kent, even telling the story on an episode of Dr. Drew’s “Life Changers.”

Meanwhile, Lisa Connelly, Derek Jerko, and Heather Swallers are now living relatively quiet lives out of the public eye. As for Bobby Kent, he was cremated and his ashes were scattered in an undisclosed location.

The tragic case of Bobby Kent’s murder serves as a sobering reminder of the devastating consequences that can arise when bullying and abuse are left unchecked. While the film “Bully” may have taken some creative liberties, it shines a light on the very real and very dark places that some teenagers can find themselves in.