John Randolph Kizer (1871–1936)

John Randolph Kizer was a veterinarian, deputy sheriff, and county agent, as well as an accused murderer who killed himself prior to a trial. A much-sensationalized account of Kizer’s murder spree was published in a 1957 issue of True Detective.

John Randolph Kizer was born on January 11, 1871, in Dalton (Randolph County) to farmers Francis Marion Kizer and Catharine Lane Kizer, who had been staunch supporters of the Confederacy. Kizer was the second oldest of five siblings, and his family was poor.

Kizer is listed in the 1900 federal census as a twenty-eight-year-old farmhand, working on the farm of his parents. Other accounts report that in his mid-twenties, Kizer identified himself as a veterinarian, at a time when licenses were rarely required. Kizer was passionate about caring for sick farm animals, often dedicating long hours to ensure their well-being; however, he despised dogs and would poison them without hesitation. Kizer was a deputy sheriff in 1901 when George Shivery was lynched in Randolph County for the alleged crime of killing a city marshal.

In 1902, Kizer married Birdie Brooks, a widow and mother of three children. Considered a prominent couple within the area, the two were frequently involved in county affairs, becoming the first county agents for Randolph County. The role of county agent enabled Kizer to teach courses on livestock and the importance of fertilization and crop rotation; he also became a special agent with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to a 1913 newspaper article, Birdie Kizer was a special agent for the Girl’s Canning Club in Randolph County, which was part of a broader program that taught young women basic household skills.

The economic disaster following the Flood of 1927 affected the Kizers, and the stock market crash of 1929 led to Kizer losing thousands of dollars, as he had invested in stocks. Desperate to pay off debts accumulated following the flood, and to secure a stable lifestyle amid this turmoil, Kizer turned to murder. Kizer reportedly pushed his wife to take out a life insurance policy not long before her December 22, 1927, death. Her death at St. Bernards’ Hospital in Jonesboro (Craighead County) was shocking to many, especially her children, who remembered her as an upbeat, lively woman, and Morehead notes that the doctor was suspicious of her swollen arm—likely a result of her husband’s injections of poison.

In 1929, Kizer married Rosena Bonner, but only a few months later, she died of an unknown illness. At first, Kizer appeared to have a great relationship with his stepson, taking on the expected fatherly duties. However, on October 21, 1935, Kizer’s stepson Bonner, a young and healthy football athlete at the Pocahontas High School, died, shocking the entire rural community and raising speculation.

The deaths of those closest to Kizer—also including Rosena’s parents—were no longer viewed as a coincidence. A jury requested that Bonner’s body be sent to Little Rock (Pulaski County) for analysis, and it was determined that the youth had been poisoned. Kizer was arrested, and, for his safety, the police escorted him to a jail outside of Randolph County, where he awaited trial.

On November 19, 1936, sixty-five-year-old Kizer collapsed as officers escorted him to his arraignment on the charge of his stepson’s murder. The cause of Kizer’s death was noted as suicide by poisoning. The county coroner, H. G. McNabb, found a note in Kizer’s pocket that stated he was innocent in the murder of Bonner, asserting that his stepson’s death was a result of being injured during a football game. Kizer also left a written will, which outlined how his money was to be distributed.

Journalist Charles Morehead wrote a 1957 article for True Detective magazine, titled “They Died Like Dogs,” about Kizer’s apparent murder spree. Despite the popularity of Morehead’s article at the time, his work is full of misinformation, especially regarding Kizer’s niece Katie, who is said to have been poisoned by Kizer but who actually lived to be sixty-nine.

For additional information:
“Alleged Poisoner Profited $60,000 from Six Deaths.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 20, 1936, pp. 1, 3.

“Bonner Kizer.” Pocahontas Star Herald, October 1936.

Harris, Rodney. Notorious Arkansas Swindler Dr. John Kizer: Medicine and Murder. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2024.

“Kizer, Accused Poisoner, Takes Drug and Dies.” Paragould Soliphone, November 23, 1936, p.6.

Morehead, Charles. “They Died Like Dogs.” True Detective, April 1957. Online at https://www.argenweb.net/randolph/Kizer.htm (accessed May 9, 2025).

Hannah Koons
Pocahontas, Arkansas