Parents of ‘Dallas’ Star Duffy Slain : ‘Dallas’ Star Duffy’s Parents Slain

The parents of “Dallas” star Patrick Duffy were shot to death in an apparent robbery attempt at a bar they owned, and two men were arrested after stealing a truck and leading police in a high-speed chase, authorities said today.

Boulder police dispatcher Mike Lavigne identified the victims of Tuesday evening’s shooting as Terence and Marie Duffy, both in their 60s. They were the parents of the actor who plays Bobby Ewing on the popular CBS-TV series.

The actor flew from Los Angeles to Montana upon learning of the killings. Leonard Katzman, executive producer of “Dallas,” said in a statement: “It goes without saying that everyone is overcome with grief. . . . Our only concern is for Patrick and his family.”

Both Suspects 19

Two Helena men, Sean A. Wentz and Kenneth A. Miller, both 19, are in custody on suspicion of deliberate homicide with bond set at $250,000 each, Lavigne said. They were being held in Helena, about 30 miles north of Boulder.

One of the suspects “had blood all over him,” said Lewis and Clark County Undersheriff Ed Schild in Helena. Robbery was the apparent motive, Schild said, and a shotgun believed used in the slayings was recovered.

He said the two suspects, one of them wielding a shotgun, confronted two janitors at a car dealership in Helena, ordered them to leave and stole a pickup truck. They were caught a short time later after a high-speed chase.

Found by Customers

“The Lounge,” the Duffys’ tavern on Main Street in this western Montana town about 30 miles from Butte, was cordoned off soon after the Duffys’ bodies were discovered at about 10 p.m.

Bystanders said the bodies were found by a group of people who stopped for a drink after the shift change at the Montana Developmental Center, a state institution for the developmentally disabled.

A Butte woman in the group saw Marie Duffy on the floor, then spotted blood on the bartender and retreated to the street to flag down a friend, she said.

According to an official CBS biography, Patrick Duffy was born in Townsend, Mont., about 20 miles east of Boulder. The family moved to Everett, Wash., when he was 12.

Resumed Bar Operation

The Duffys resumed operation of their bar about eight years ago, a resident said. They owned it for years previously when Patrick was growing up, but leased the bar to other operators while away.

Duffy’s portrayal of the good-hearted Bobby Ewing on “Dallas” made him one of the most popular characters on prime-time soap operas. He left the show for one season, saying he wanted to try other projects.

Duffy was written out of the script when Bobby was killed by a spurned lover in a season-ending “cliffhanger” two seasons ago. But he returned to “Dallas” this season in a plot twist in which his ex-wife, Pam, merely dreamed that he had been killed.