Joe Kenda is a retired Colorado Springs Police Department detective lieutenant who was involved in 387 homicide cases over a 23-year career. He solved 356 cases, a closure rate of 92%.He was featured on the Investigation Discovery television show Homicide Hunter, where he recounted stories of cases he solved. In its ninth season, Homicide Hunter was Investigation Discovery’s top show, averaging 1.7 million viewers each week in the third quarter of 2018. On January 29, 2020, The series finale, “The End”, aired. Kenda hosts the Discovery+ show American Detective With Lt. Joe Kenda.
Birth Name
Joseph Patrick Kenda
Nickname
Joe
Profession
Retired Colorado Springs Police Department Detective
Nationality
American
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Joe Kenda was born on the 14th of November 1946, in Herminie, Pennsylvania, United States.
Age
He’s currently 76 years old.
Sun Sign
Scorpio
Ethnicity
Mixed
Religion
Christianity
Education
In 1964, Kenda graduated from Greensburg Central Catholic High School. He attended the University of Pittsburgh. After graduating with a B.A. in political science, in 1970, Kenda earned a master’s degree in international relations from Ohio State University.
Family Details
- Father – William Vincent Kenda Sr. (Intelligence officer in the United States Army)
- Mother – Virginia Therese Morrissey (née Morrissey)
- Siblings – William Vincent Kenda Jr. (Brother)
Marital Status
Married
Girlfriend / Spouse
Joe Kenda has dated –
- Mary Kathleen Mohler – Kenda wife’s name is Mary Kathleen Mohler Kenda. Joe and Mary were together since high school. The couple dated for a couple of years. Together, they have two children: Dan and Kris. Dan is a former United States Navy commander and Kris is a former United States Air Force major.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 5 feet 11½ inches
- In centimeters – 182 cm
- In meters – 1.82 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 72 kg
- In Pounds – 159 lbs
Body Build
Slim
Eye Color
Blue
Hair Color
Grey
Shoe Size
He wears a size 11.5 (US) shoe.
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Joe became known as a 25-year veteran of Colorado’s homicide investigation unit with one of the highest case-closure rates in the country. He stars on Investigation Discovery’s Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda. On the show, he re-opens his “murder books,” case files of the most disturbing cases still haunting him today.
Television Debut
In 2011, Kenda landed her first role in television by appearing as Self – Host in the series, Homicide Hunter: Lt Joe Kenda.
Joe Kenda Net worth
Joe Kenda has an estimated net worth of $3 million dollars as of 2023.
Social Media Profiles
- Twitter – Joe Kenda
Some Lesser Known Facts About Joe Kenda
- Kenda was born and raised in Herminie, Pennsylvania. In 1913, his paternal grandparents immigrated from Čezsoča in what is now Slovenia.
- His father, William, served as an intelligence officer in the United States Army during World War II and ran a trucking business. His mother, Virginia (née Morrissey), was from Colorado Springs.
- Joe considered a career with the Foreign Service, but after a classified briefing with the Central Intelligence Agency decided it was not for him.
- In 1973, After working at his father’s trucking business, Kenda joined the Colorado Springs Police Department.
- In 1973, Kenda joined the Colorado Springs Police Department. In 1977, he was promoted to the rank of detective and assigned a role in the burglary division of the department.
- In 1977, Kenda volunteered to take over an attempted murder case deemed unsolvable by veteran detectives. Kenda solved the case and was moved to the police department’s homicide unit.
- In 1980, he was promoted to sergeant and In 1984, returned to homicide.
- Afterward, he solved around 387 homicide cases for Colorado Springs P.D. Joe Kenda’s success as a detective was the result of his ability to analyze human nature.
- In 2011, he began starring in a real-life investigation-based TV show, Homicide Hunters. Since then he has appeared on the show.
- In December 2020, Kenda began a new series, American Detective with Lt. Joe Kenda, with each episode featuring Kenda discussing the cases of different homicide detectives in the United States.
