Janice McKerrow was a 14-year-old middle school student, slain by another 14-year-old student and left dead beside a road with her skull crushed. As a parent, Janice’s story scares me like no other. Her tragic story proves what none of us want to acknowledge – that killers and rapists are not monsters hiding in the shadows. Rather they are people among us, our family members, our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends, our classmates. People we walk by in the grocery store and people we greet at church. Our children are not safe, no matter how hard we try to protect them. It breaks my heart to learn about this life cut so short.
Janice McKerrow was a stellar student at Albuquerque’s Bernalillo Middle School. She had many friends and played violin in the New Mexico Youth Symphony. She served as the historian for Future Teachers of America and was also in drama and the Pep Club. On top of being very active with school, she was very active with church and was deeply religious. After her death, her family had another little girl who went on to become a professional ballerina. They were clearly a successful family.
In 1961, Janice was murdered by a classmate, Daniel Sisneros. Daniel was also fourteen. He apparently had had a crush on Janice for a while, but she rebuffed him and made fun of him. This was the apparent motive behind her slaying. Not that it matters if Janice dated or not, but her classmates all said that she had no interest in boys. Her true love was her violin. She did not seem like a bully, but then again, most kids at that age have a mean streak. It is possible that she rejected Daniel Sisneros rudely and hurt his feelings. That is no excuse for how he stole her dreams and ended her life so brutally.
On January 26, 1961, Mr. McKerrow became worried when his daughter didn’t come home from school on time. She always came straight home from school every day and he reported that he never had problems with her. He knew right away something was very wrong.
The girl was eventually found by a road two blocks the family home. She had been bludgeoned to death and her skull had been crushed in. Her schoolbooks were scattered around her. It is not clear if she had been raped. Perhaps the most heartbreaking detail is that Daniel Sisneros said Janice was very quiet while he killed her. It’s like she bravely and quietly accepted her terrible fate. She should not have had to die alone and in pain at the hands of a rejected classmate.
Daniel Sisneros admitted to the crime and was charged with first-degree murder but convicted of second-degree murder. He was tried as a juvenile and served time in juvenile corrections. He also underwent extensive psychiatric evaluations.
In 1970, he attempted to appeal his conviction to get out of prison early by claiming his sentence constituted “cruel and unusual punishment.” The court denied his motion because his sentence was between the minimum (3 years) and the maximum (30 years) and he failed to prove how his sentence was cruel and unusual. It blows my mind that he truly didn’t think he deserved to do some time for what he did to poor Janice. He clearly didn’t feel much remorse. It appears that he lives in Santa Fe and he is now 76.
On the Albuquerque Memories Facebook page, sometimes people still share group photos from school that include Janice McKerrow. The comments are always an outpouring of grief and regret for her loss. She was well-loved, and she is well-remembered, even to this day.
Sources
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36412362/janice-mckerrow
https://newspaperarchive.com/albuquerque-tribune-jan-27-1961-p-1/