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Edmund Emil Kemper III was born on December 13, 1948 in Burbank, CA. He was born to the union of Edmund E. Kemper Jr. and Clarnell Strandberg. After his parents divorced, Clarnell took Kemper along with his two sisters to live by her very high standards and abusive ways. She berated Kemper mentally by having him sleep in a windowless basement because she feared of the harm he may cause to his sisters. In turn, this caused the hatred that he had for her to fester and turn into hatred against all women. On many occasions Kemper would break off the heads and hands of his sister’s dolls and also have them play the game he called “The gas chamber” in which he was the victim to be executed (Fisher, 2003a).
At 10 years of age, Kemper began showing signs of true violence. He was sent to live with his father after his mother found the remains of their two pet cats in his closet, one decapitated and the other cut into pieces, from the use of a machete. Once in his father’s care, he ran away and was then quickly shipped off to live with his paternal grandparents on a remote California ranch. At this point in Kemper’s life he was a young teen that stood six feet four and weighed well over 200 pounds. Not only dealing with the strict rules and dysfunctional lifestyle at home, Kemper also endured teasing and torment from peers at school. Most days he would sit and daydream about killing everyone in the world. Kemper later described himself as a “walking time-bomb” (Ramsland, 2006a).
Kemper felt that his grandmother treated him the same as his mother did, therefore making it easy for him to displace his anger onto her. On one August afternoon in 1963, Kemper shot his grandmother in the back of the head with a .22 caliber rifle and stabbed her repeatedly about the body. When his grandfather returned home, he also used the gun on him shooting him as he exited his vehicle (Fisher, 2003b). This was the first murders of the future serial killer known as the “Co-ed Killer”.
After killing his grandparents, Kemper was sentenced through the juvenile court system and sent to Atascadero, a maximum-security hospital where he spent the remainder of his childhood. Per Ramsland (2006b) Kemper was released to his mother at age 21 regardless of his doctor’s wishes.
“She still today never told me she loved me…never… never in her life … it’s too hard to explain,” says Anthony Sowell as he mentions his mother while he is being interrogated by Cleveland Homicide Detective (Sberna). The classic neighbor that every family wishes to have, friendly, helpful and caring was holding back numerous secrets. In Anthony Sowell’s actions of the rape, beatings and murder of 11 innocent women, he demonstrates the qualities of a human monster while showing how nurture creates a personality as well as proving that humans are capable of creation more fear than those who are written about in fiction.
Though his killings occurred over thirty years ago Clifford Olson is still knows as one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers. Active through the years 1980-1980 he was responsible for eleven gruesome murders in that short span of time. The shocking nature of his crimes ensured nobody would forget his notorious deeds. To build on that, Olson is loathed because he extorted authorities into paying $100,000 for the locations of his victims’ remains, an agreement that haunted the survivors of Olson’s crimes, and ruined the careers of the officials who buckled under Olson’s outrageous demands. Furthermore, his crime spree led Neighbourhoods that once claimed to be “so safe you could leave your door open” to secure their doors; hitchhikers were seldom found on highways, and telephone poles were covered with posters warning that nearly a dozen adolescents were missing and a killer was on the loose. Had he not been apprehended by the authorities on August 12th, 1981 his spree of brutal slayings may have continued for much longer, as he showed no remorse for his ruthless crimes.
In the book, The Serial Killer Whisperer: How One Man’s Tragedy Helped Unlock the Deadliest Secrets of the World’s Most Terrifying Killers, Tony Ciaglia writes letters to various serial killers and starts a friendship with them. The friendships Tony’s build’s with these serial killer’s through phone calls and letters helped law enforcement in more than one way. The serial killers trust Tony and opens up to him about things they’ve done and why. The Serial Killer Whisperer gives readers an inside look of serial killers minds. Although the letters in this novel are between Tony and various serial killers, Pete Earley is the author. He interviewed Tony and his friends and families. Pete Earley is also the author of three New York Times bestsellers and he has won the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime. Ealey wrote this gripping tale in a way that would captivate any audience.
Dave Pelzer’s book “A Child Called ‘It’” told his story of growing up in an abusive household. Pelzer’s family at first was just like any other, his parents loved each other and their children and they would do many fun activities together. As time progressed a change happened and his mother began to always punish Pelzer rather than any of the other children. The small punishments soon began to grow and become more and more serious. Soon, Dave’s father and siblings could not help him out of fear that their mother and wife would turn on them. Dave was banished to the garage where he would have to sit at the bottom of the stairs waiting until his mother called him to do his chores. Usually Pelzer would be starved for very long periods of time
were also very hard for the Dahmer family to deal with. To many it was
When it come to the wrongdoing of serial murders the first thing people think of is that the offender is psychotic, white, abused as a child and experimented with animals. However that is not true, serial killers have different alternatives, motives and desires. Some are sexual sadist, act in necrophilia and are mission base serial killers. However people do not know that African-Americans consist of the largest racial minority group among serial killers, representing approximately 20 percent of the total amount of serial killers in America. (Bonn) Most believe that serial killers are white and other races are not likely to partake in that type of crimes. However two notorious well known black serial killers are Lemuel Smith & John Floyd
“I actually think I may be possessed with demons, I was dropped on my head as a kid.” says Dennis Rader. Dennis was also referred to as BTK a name that he came up with himself, and stood for Bind, Torture, Kill. Rader says that he was dropped on his head as a kid which I totally believe because there was definitely something wrong with that man, he was not normal. Dennis Rader also known as BTK is the worst serial killer known to man, he murdered a whole family, took disturbing photos, and majorly stalked his victims.
Dave Pelzer’s book, “A Child Called It” (1995), discussed unforgettable accounts of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California’s history. The book is a captivating, yet intimidating journey through the torturing childhood of the author, himself. The child, David (Dave) Pelzer¸ was emotionally and physically tormented by his mother who was unstable and addicted to alcohol. He was the victim of abuse in his own home, a source of ridicule at his own school, and stripped of all existence. This book left me in suspense as I waited with anticipation for the end of this little boy’s struggle to live. Throughout this paper, I will focus on the events that took place in this book and discuss my personal feelings and the effects this story
While at his grandparents’ house, his grandmother and he got into an argument. While still arguing he went to get his grandfather’s 22. Rifle went back into the kitchen and shot his grandmother and when his grandfather came back from shopping he shoot him too when he was coming up the drive way. Kemper not knowing what to do called his mother for help, his mother told him to call the police and wait at the house. When the police came and asked him why he did it Kemper said “just wanted to see what it felt like to kill grandma”. After the incident he was locked up at Atascadero State Hospital for the criminally insane. Five years later he was released into his mother’s
...dent because he was known to hang out in a bar in Santa Cruz where off duty police officers could be found, asking questions about the murders he had committed. He had even applied to become a police officer (Martingale 222). Kemper, by calling the police and describing details of the murders to get them to believe he was the “coed killer,” was finally getting the notoriety and recognition he felt he deserved for the first time in his life. The label of antisocial personality disorder can be applied to Kemper. He paid no attention to the pain and suffering he caused others and completely ignored their individual rights. This behavior started early in his childhood and continued until he became incarcerated. Edmund Kemper III is a sociopath, a psychopath, the “coed killer,” a serial killer, one of the most horrifying and most serious offenders living in prison today.
Besides telling her child that she hated him and wished him dead Dave’s mother put him through tremendous physical pain and abuse. From a young child till the fifth grade Dave Pelzer had been made to sleep away from the family in the basement in a small army cot. He was starved for days and days on end. His mother longed for any time to severely beat him, it made her day, she would think of morbid things all day to do to him when he got home from school. Among many other things, Dave Pelzer was; stabbed, made to drink ammonia, bleach, and dishwashing detergent, made to sit in a bathroom for hours with many chemicals creating a small gas chamber, put in freezing cold water for hours with just his nose sticking out of the tub, burnt on an open fire on the stove, and made to eat his little brother’s dirty diaper. These were only some of the torturous things his mother could think of to do to her little boy.
Serial murder is defined by the National Institute of Justice as a "series of two or more murders, committed as separate events, usually but not always, by one offender acting alone. The crimes may occur over a period of time ranging from hours to years. Quite often the motive is psychological, and the offender's behavior and the physical evidence observed at the crime scenes will reflect sadistic, sexual overtones." This definition perfectly describes serial killer Albert Fish.
Ramirez had many characteristics that could be similar to a typical serial killer. There are a great number of traits that can make a serial killer who they are. There are also upbringings that can make a serial killer act a certain way. Experiences and certain events can cause them to become the serial killer they are. Serial killers can also become who they are not just because of their surroundings, but because they want to. Sometimes they want revenge on somebody and then it just continues on because it becomes a habit. Characteristics of a serial killer include: alcohol and substance abuse, psychological abuse during childhood, sexually stressful events in childhood, bed-wetting, growing up lonely and isolated, fantasies, preferring auto-erotic activities, developing voyeurism and fetishism in adulthood, acting out fantasies on animals, and physical injuries (Gerber 2). There are quite obviously more traits that are typical of a regular serial killers, but these ten appear to be the most common amongst them.
“My consuming lust was to experience their bodies. I viewed them as objects, as strangers. It is hard for me to believe a human being could have done what I've done”(Dahmer).
Edmund Kemper, a serial killer who killed his grandparents when he was fifteen years old once said "It was an urge. ... A strong urge, and the longer I let it go the stronger it got, to where I was taking risks to go out and kill people." Many people may ponder the question why serial killers feel the need to kill in the first place. Most psychologists say there is not one solid reason. Just like every snowflake is unique, every person’s motive for killing is unique.