Kirby Logan Archer (born October 24, 1971) is an American criminal convicted of hijacking the charter fishing vessel Joe Cool and murdering its four occupants in international waters off the coast of Florida in September 2007.
Background
Archer previously served as a military police investigator in the United States Army and was stationed at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. He received a dishonorable discharge. After leaving the military, he worked as a customer service manager at a Walmart in Arkansas, where he was accused of stealing approximately $92,000. Before Arkansas law enforcement could arrest him for the alleged theft, Archer fled the state, resulting in a fugitive warrant. He was also facing allegations of sexual abuse against young boys in Arkansas, including his own children.
The Joe Cool Hijacking and Murders
On September 22, 2007, Archer and Guillermo Zarabozo chartered the Joe Cool, a 47-foot Miami-based fishing vessel, requesting transport to Bimini in the Bahamas. Archer paid $4,000 in cash for the two-hour trip. When the vessel failed to return to Miami as scheduled, the U.S. Coast Guard initiated a search. The Joe Cool was found adrift as a deserted ghost ship, and Archer and Zarabozo were discovered nearby in the vessel's lifeboat with their luggage. The four crew members—Jake Branam, Kelley Branam, Scott Gamble, and Samuel Kairy—were never found.
Archer initially claimed the boat had been hijacked by pirates who released him and Zarabozo. Investigators suspected Archer had chartered the vessel to flee to Cuba to escape the intensifying investigations in Arkansas.
Arrest, Guilty Plea, and Sentence
Archer and Zarabozo were formally charged on October 10, 2007, with the murders of the four crew members during the hijacking. In July 2008, Archer pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping, and hijacking. By pleading guilty, he avoided a possible death sentence. On October 14, 2008, Archer was sentenced to five consecutive life terms in prison. He is serving his sentence at FCI Jesup in Georgia.
