Joe Kenda is a Pennsylvania born actor who spent twenty-three years as a detective in Colorado before becoming a part of the television industry. With years of experience at hand, he has worked as a consultant, producer and actor on various crime-related documentaries and series.

Personal Life

Joe Kenda was born as Joseph Partick on 12th November 1946. He spent his early days in a town called Herminie located on the western side of Pennsylvania. He grew up in a family of coal miners, his grandfather, father, and uncle made a living as a miner. From a young age, he has an affinity towards articles and clippings about crime related incidents with a special interest in murder cases.

Kenda did his schooling from Greensburg Central Catholic High School, from where he graduated in 1964. He studied political science at the University of Pittsburgh during 1967. He attended Ohio State University to complete his masters. He learned international relations and graduated in the year 1970 with a degree. Joe Kenda gave up on his plan to pursue a career with the Central Intelligence Agency after a disappointing meeting with Foreign Services. Before joining the police department, for a brief period of time he found a job at the trucking company owned and run by his father.

While still pursuing his college education in 1967, he decided to marry his long-time girlfriend and high school friend, Mark Kathleen Mohler. The happy couple is blessed with two children. For a long while, Joe’s family resided in Colorado Springs as he was working with the local police department.

Career

Joe Kenda served as a homicide detective for the Colorado Springs police department for about nineteen years. Of the 387 cases he has worked on, he has successfully solved 356 of them. His closing rate is at a commendable 92%. One of his cases in 1990, which involved the murder of Dianne Hood which became a huge media sensation due to its Hollywood plot like series of events; it was also featured on many books and the People magazine. In 1996, he retired from the department and the years that followed were difficult for him. For a while, he had a job as a bus operator for a school for special needs children.

During his time as a detective, Kenda had given an interview to Patrick Bryant who was at the time working on a special television episode about the relationship between the rise in homicide number and drug trade. This small event later inspired Bryant to create a series based on the life and career of Kenda, it was called ‘Homicide Hunter: Lt Joe Kenda’. The series premiered in September 2011, it became one of the most viewed series on the Discovery Channel. Actor Carl Marino portrays Joe’s character on the show since its pilot episode. The series that is telecasted all across the globe is in its eighth season. Joe Kenda remains humble and down to earth man in spite of all the fame and success, he has gained through the series.