It started as a story of friendship, youth, and suburban life in Florida. But by July 1993, it had spiraled into one of the most infamous and shocking crimes in American history. Bobby Kent, 20, was brutally murdered by seven people—people who were once his closest friends and companions. The reason? They claimed he was a bully, a tyrant, a violent presence in their lives. But as the details emerged, the story revealed something far darker—a tangled web of manipulation, betrayal, and chilling premeditation.

From Playground to Prejudice: The Early Life of Bobby Kent

Born on May 12, 1973, to Iranian immigrants Fred and Farah (Khayam) Kent in Hollywood, Florida, Bobby Kent seemed like a well-behaved boy on the surface. To neighbors and adults, he was polite, intelligent, and charming. Yet to those who truly knew him, including his childhood best friend, Marty Puccio Jr., Bobby’s personality was far more complex.

Kent and Puccio had grown up on the same block in Broward County, inseparable since third grade. They went to school together, attended parties together, worked out together, and even found themselves on the wrong side of minor legal trouble a few times. But beneath the surface, their friendship began to erode. Puccio would later claim that Kent bullied him, both physically and emotionally.

Court documents describe incidents that seem almost surreal: Kent once unleashed his dog on Puccio, punched him in the face during a drive, and reportedly derived amusement from tormenting his friend. Jim Schutze’s book Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge notes an added layer of complexity: the two boys sometimes pretended to be a couple to hustle money from gay men, and Kent attempted to profit from pornography involving Puccio.

Even as their friendship continued publicly, private tensions were simmering. And when young love entered the equation, the tension exploded.

Love, Obsession, and the Seeds of Murder

By 1993, the dynamics between Kent, Puccio, and the girls in their lives became increasingly strained. Marty Puccio began dating Lisa Connelly, who introduced Kent to her friend Alice “Ali” Willis. Kent’s interactions with Willis quickly turned abusive. His former friends and allies started to see him not just as a bully, but as a threat.

Connelly reportedly asked Puccio how he truly felt about Kent. What she uncovered shocked her: years of resentment, fear, and anger that had been quietly growing inside Puccio were finally unleashed. The two began to plot something horrific—an act of revenge that would end Bobby Kent’s life forever.

It’s a chilling reminder of how friendship, when warped by fear and resentment, can turn deadly. But even for those who know the story, the brutality of what came next remains difficult to fathom.

The Night of Terror: How the Broward Seven Executed Their Plan

On July 13, 1993, Connelly, Puccio, and Willis attempted to lure Kent to a construction site in Weston, Florida. Connelly, armed with a gun, reportedly lost her nerve, but the plan was far from over. The three recruited additional accomplices: Donny Semenec, Heather Swallers, Derek Dzvirko, and Derek Kaufman—the latter a self-proclaimed “hitman.” Together, they became known as the “Broward Seven.”

The following night, July 14, they enacted their plan. Luring Kent under the pretense of a drag race with Willis’ Mustang, the group waited for him. The women distracted him while Semenec stabbed Kent in the neck. Puccio, his childhood friend, did not come to the rescue. Instead, he stabbed Kent in the stomach, leaving him doubled over in pain.

Witnesses described a scene of horror and disbelief. Willis recalled the moment vividly: Kent screaming for Marty’s help, blood everywhere, his face contorted in shock and agony. Then the others joined in, stabbing and bludgeoning him with a lead pipe and a baseball bat. Once Kent was unconscious, the killers rolled his body into a swamp, hoping the wildlife would erase their crime.

The Aftermath: Confession and Arrest

For a moment, the Broward Seven believed they could keep their secret forever. But guilt and paranoia took hold. Dzvirko confessed to his uncle, and soon the full scope of the murder was revealed. Law enforcement acted quickly, arresting all seven involved. Kent’s parents were left in disbelief, unable to reconcile the friendship they had nurtured with the brutal betrayal of Puccio.

Puccio claimed that years of bullying had driven him to murder. The court found him guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He was initially sentenced to death, later commuted to life in prison. Semenec and Kaufman also received life sentences. Connelly, Willis, Dzvirko, and Swallers served several years in prison, and all have since been released.

From Real Life Horror to the Silver Screen

The brutality and psychological complexity of Bobby Kent’s murder inspired Schutze’s Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge in 1997. In 2001, the story was adapted into the film Bully, directed by Larry Clark. While critics offered mixed reviews, the film captured the chilling dynamics of peer pressure, abuse, and moral ambiguity that defined the real-life crime.

Roger Ebert praised the film for its unflinching portrayal of reality: “Bully calls the bluff of movies that pretend to be about murder but are really about entertainment. His film has all the sadness and shabbiness, all the mess and cruelty and thoughtless stupidity of the real thing. This is not about the evil sadist and the release of revenge; it’s about how a group of kids will do something no single member is capable of. And about the moral void these kids inhabit.”

Legacy and Lessons

More than two decades later, the murder of Bobby Kent remains a haunting example of how abuse, fear, and resentment can spiral into unimaginable violence. It serves as a case study in the dangerous intersections of friendship, obsession, and adolescent rage. The story continues to resonate because it exposes uncomfortable truths about human behavior: how cruelty can be normalized, how loyalty can be twisted into complicity, and how the line between victim and perpetrator can blur.

The murder also highlights the role of justice and the legal system in handling complex cases involving multiple perpetrators, youthful offenders, and premeditated intent. Even as the survivors of this crime rebuild their lives, the shadow of July 1993 in Weston, Florida, lingers—a dark reminder of how quickly childhood bonds can turn fatal.

A Tale That Still Captivates

For audiences today, Bobby Kent’s story is not just a case study; it is a window into the extremes of human emotion and the consequences of unchecked cruelty. Every new account, every film adaptation, every book ensures that the lessons of the Broward Seven are not forgotten. And as viewers and readers, we are left to grapple with the same questions that have haunted investigators, families, and communities for decades: How could friends commit such a heinous act? Could it have been prevented? And what does it say about the nature of loyalty, morality, and revenge?