When you think of Amarillo, you think of a city in the heart of the Texas Panhandle.  You think of the city famous for buried Cadillacs and giant steaks you have to attempt to eat.

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Amarillo is a thriving city in Texas, known for being a great place to live, work, and raise a family. It’s growing fast—just look, we’re even getting a Buc-ee’s! New businesses are constantly moving in, adding to the city’s charm. But beneath all the progress, Amarillo also carries a dark history.

The Pizza Hut Murder

On the night of Tuesday, January 11, 1977, the employees at the Pizza Hut on 701 S. Georgia were wrapping up their shift.

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A masked man walked into the restaurant around 11:30 pm wielding a small gun.   After entering the restaurant the assailant picked up a butcher knife and forced 4 employees into the walk-in fridge.  However, there were 5 employees in the restaurant.  The manager Mary Jeanette Powers was asleep in a booth and awoke when she heard the commotion.

Employees said they heard screams from their manager while they were locked in the walk-in fridge.  After they were freed by the husband of one of the employees, unaware of what had transpired, they couldn’t find any sign of Powers and feared she had been kidnapped.

Later police found the beaten body of Powers, lying in the back of the restaurant, her throat had been cut and her head had been put into one of the restaurant mixers.   Mary Jeanette Powers was only 30 years old when she was murdered.

Who Committed this Heinous Murder?

Two people were involved in the Pizza Hut robbery/murder, husband and wife, 18-year-old Kathy Griljalva and 23-year-old David Griljalva.  Both had fled and were found in Albuquerque when they were taken into custody.  Kathy Griljalva waived extradition and was transferred back to Amarillo.  David Giljalva had to be extradited to Amarillo.

During the trials, Kathy Gijalva divorced David Grijalva, on Tuesday, April 19, 1977, and legally changed her name back to Sutton.

Kathy Grijalva had worked at the Pizza with Mary Powers.  She testified that she had come up with the idea of robbing Pizza Hut, but had said that she had nothing to do with the murder.  She was given a 10-year probated sentence for her involvement in the robbery/murder.

David Grijalva was eventually convicted of Capitol Murder and sentenced to death in the slaying of Mary Jeanette Powers.  However, his conviction was reduced to murder on May 20, 1982, and his sentence was reduced to life.   However, David Grijalva was eventually released.

A woman was brutally murdered for $300, and her murderer was eventually set free.

However, his life of crime continued.

According to the Gallup News, he was arrested on March 28, 2016, and charged with trafficking a controlled substance, which was heroin, and possession of drug paraphernalia.  However, he was also convicted in 2016 of an attempt to commit a drug felony.

The Pizza Hut where Powers was murdered was eventually closed and became the RR Bar, and rumor has it that the building is haunted, and strange and creepy things happen there to this day.

Unsolved Murders of Amarillo, Texas

These are the unsolved murders of Amarillo, Texas.

If you have any information or if you know something, call Amarillo Crime Stoppers at 806-374-4400. 

Gallery Credit: Sarah Clark

Amarillo Criminals On Death Row

The Missing 18 People From the Texas Panhandle

These are the 18 people from the Amarillo area who have gone missing and have not yet been found. The cases are listed from most recent to oldest. Please take a look and see if you recognize any faces. Any information is helpful for investigators and the families missing them.

If you know anything about the following missing people, please call Amarillo Police Department at (806) 378-3038 You may make an anonymous tip.

Information gathered from the Amarillo Police Department, Charley Project, TXDPS, and NAMUS.

Gallery Credit: Sarah Clark

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