‘Dallas’ star Patrick Duffy recalls the ‘horrific’ night his parents were murdered

Patrick Duffy’s life forever changed one night in November 1986.

His parents, Terence and Marie Duffy, were owners of a local tavern named The Lodge in their hometown of Boulder, Montana — where gunmen shot and killed them.

“My father kicked these two young men out of the bar at some point in the evening,” the 70-year-old recently told Closer Weekly. “So they went and drank elsewhere… and came back to the bar to kick his a–. When they stepped in the bar with their guns, they shot him. There was nobody else in the bar, so they shot both my mother and my father.”

At the time of the murders, the Los Angeles Times reported that investigators recovered a shotgun believed to have been used in the crime, along with money taken from the bar.

Sean A. Wentz and Kenneth A. Miller, both 19 at the time, were charged with deliberate homicide, the outlet shared. The bodies of the Duffys were found by a group of people who had stopped for a drink after a shift change at the Montana Development Center.

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Patrick Duffy at NostalgiaCon at the Anaheim Convention Center at Anaheim, California, on Sept. 28.

Patrick Duffy at NostalgiaCon at the Anaheim Convention Center at Anaheim, California, on Sept. 28.
(Photo by Manny Hernandez/Getty Images, File)

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One woman spotted the matriarch on the floor, but initially thought she might have fainted. When she saw the blood on Terence, she immediately headed out and flagged down a friend for help.

The “Dallas” star still remembers his parents as “pretty ordinary, pleasant people” who were “very social” before the brutal slayings.

“When my parents were murdered, I went through all the emotions of the horrific event — shock and anger and everything — but I never felt disconnected from [my parents],” said the actor. “I never felt that immediate loss. I did not know why then, but in retrospect, it was a result of being Buddhist.”

The two men were found guilty of the murders, Closer Weekly reported. Wentz, the one who pulled the trigger, was sentenced to 180 years in prison. Miller, his accomplice, was paroled in 2007.

“I’m OK with that,” he admitted. “My point of view is he’s already been punished. You know, whether he’s in prison or out of prison.”

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Patrick Duffy and his wife, Carlyn Rosser, at the closing ceremony of the 55th Monte-Carlo Television Festival in June 2015, in Monaco.

Patrick Duffy and his wife, Carlyn Rosser, at the closing ceremony of the 55th Monte-Carlo Television Festival in June 2015, in Monaco.
(Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images, File)

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Duffy would endure personal tragedy in 2017 when his wife of 43 years, Carlyn Rosser, died at age 77, leaving behind the star and their two sons — 45-year-old Padraic and 39-year-old Conor.

“I can hear her. I can see her,” the actor told Closer Weekly for the magazine’s latest issue currently on newsstands. “I know what she would expect of me, and I try and live up to that.”

“I feel close to her all the time, [but] what I miss most is her touch,” Duffy continued. “I still consider myself a married man.”

According to the outlet, Duffy instantly knew Rosser was “the one” when he first locked eyes with her.

“I was an immature college graduate touring as a narrator with this dance production, and she was a beautiful ballerina 10 years older,” he recalled. “We met on the tour bus and that was it — for life.”

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Patrick Duffy and Carlyn Rosser attending in May 1977 at California State University in Northridge, California.

Patrick Duffy and Carlyn Rosser attending in May 1977 at California State University in Northridge, California.
(Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images, File)

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Duffy said Rosser’s death came unexpectedly, making her loss all the more painful.

“It was a surprise when she passed,” said Duffy. “There was no indication. So that was the big adjustment. My boys were there as stalwarts. But I also realized that, as much as they were trying to buttress old dad up, I’m probably more adjusted to this set of circumstances than they are. You reach a certain age and you realize the road ahead is much shorter than the road behind.”

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Duffy said he’s aware he must move forward, both for himself and for his family. However, he said he’ll continue to cherish his memories of Rosser.

“There are no mistakes in life,” he said. “I can mend every fence I’ve broken and create value out of everything I’ve done if I’m given enough time. I have done it and I still am doing OK. I have worked hard to make the best of life, and it’s been good to me.”

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