For nearly four decades, Patrick Duffy has carried the heartbreaking memories of one of the darkest nights of his life.
The Dallas star was just 37 years old when his parents, Terence and Marie Duffy, were shot and killed inside the family-owned tavern in Boulder, Montana.
Now, as the 40th anniversary of their deaths approaches, the 77-year-old actor has revisited the horrific tragedy during an emotional podcast appearance, sharing painful details about the night that changed his life forever.
His Father Ordered the Teenagers to Leave
Patrick Duffy is best known to television audiences for his iconic portrayal of Bobby Ewing on the hit series Dallas. He later returned to television as Frank Lambert in the popular sitcom Step by Step, starring alongside Suzanne Somers.
Behind those familiar television roles, however, lies a deeply personal story of loss and heartbreak that has remained with him for decades.
During a conversation with Steve Kmetko on the Still Here Hollywood podcast on November 9, Duffy became visibly emotional as he recalled the terrifying events of November 18, 1986 — the night his parents were brutally murdered.
The tragedy began when his father, Terence Duffy, who owned the family tavern, ordered two disruptive teenagers to leave the establishment. Rather than walking away and forgetting the confrontation, the two young men returned later that night carrying shotguns.
According to Duffy, the teenagers had been drinking and behaving aggressively inside the bar. His father eventually decided that enough was enough and told them to leave.
“My dad had thrown these two boys out because they were, you know, drunk and boisterous, and he just threw them out of the bar, and they went somewhere, finished whatever they were drinking, and the anger boiled up, and they went back in. It was very late at night,” Duffy recalled.
Patrick Duffy Recalls His Father’s Final Words
What happened next would permanently change the Duffy family.
“There was nobody in the bar except my father and my mother. And they walked in with their shotguns,” he said.
Duffy went on to describe the moments leading up to the killings, drawing on the details presented during the court proceedings.
When his father noticed the two men entering the bar, he reportedly approached them and began saying, “I told you to…”
He never had the chance to finish his sentence.
“And then that’s when, uh, they opened up on him and killed him,” Duffy said.
His mother, Marie, had been sitting at the opposite end of the bar, working on a crossword puzzle. When she realized what was happening to her husband, she rushed toward him in an attempt to reach him.
“And they shot her too,” Duffy recalled.
The bodies of Terence and Marie were later discovered by a group of workers who stopped at the tavern for a beer during a shift change at a nearby institution for people with disabilities.
The Men Behind the Brutal Murders
The men responsible for the shocking murders were eventually identified after one of them confessed his involvement to his girlfriend.
The two teenagers, Sean A. Wentz and Kenneth A. Miller, were both just 19 years old when they carried out the killings.
Both were convicted of deliberate homicide. Wentz, who fired the fatal shots, received a 180-year prison sentence. He was eventually released on parole in 2015, while Miller was granted parole in 2007.
Duffy also recalled how the two men stole money from the tavern’s cash register and took bottles of alcohol before fleeing the scene. The robbery became another element of the crime and the charges brought against them.
Residents of Boulder, where the murders took place, said the crime was especially difficult to comprehend because Duffy’s Bar had always been considered a peaceful and welcoming establishment. Violence and serious disturbances were rarely associated with the family-owned business.
It was widely regarded as the last place anyone would expect such a horrific incident to happen. The tavern was a quiet gathering spot where people could stop for a drink and enjoy a relaxing evening.
Terence and Marie were also well known in the community as quiet, respectable people who did not tolerate troublemakers or disruptive customers. Both were in their 60s when they were murdered.
How Patrick Duffy Found a Way Through His Grief
Losing both parents in such a brutal and violent manner was an unimaginable experience for Duffy. At the time, he was already one of the biggest stars on American television, and the shocking killings quickly attracted widespread media attention.
His parents had always been incredibly proud of their son’s achievements. In fact, they had dedicated an entire wall inside their tavern to photographs of Patrick and frequently talked about their children with friends and customers who visited the establishment.
Their devotion to his career was particularly evident in how closely they followed his television work.
“They never missed one episode of Dallas and they always taped it,” close family friend Bobby Sutherlin told the Daily Sentinel shortly after the murders.
During his podcast conversation, Duffy also opened up about the important role his Buddhist faith played in helping him understand and cope with the devastating loss.
By the time his parents were killed in 1986, he had already been practicing Buddhism for 15 years. His spiritual beliefs had become an important part of his life long before the tragedy occurred.
“By that time I had been chanting my practice of Buddhism for 15 years,” he explained.
He went on to discuss the Buddhist understanding of life’s continuous cycle, a philosophy that had shaped his outlook and helped him approach grief, suffering and the loss of his loved ones.
Nearly four decades have passed since that horrifying night, but the deaths of his parents remain one of the defining experiences of Patrick Duffy’s life.
Although his successful acting career brought him international recognition, fame and professional achievements, nothing could erase the personal tragedy he experienced away from the television cameras.
For Duffy, the memories of Terence and Marie remain an enduring part of his story — a painful reminder of two lives taken in a senseless act of violence.
Rest in peace, Terence and Marie.