The Nearly 7-Foot Serial Killer Who Targeted College Students

27th of August 1964 Grandma Kemper is at the kitchen table editing the "Boys' Life" manuscript for her boy scout troop. Two bullets were fired into her head by her 15-year-old grandson Edmund as he approaches her from behind. Afterward, he stabs her three times. He later tells police when asked why he did it, "I just wondered how it would feel to shoot granny". Although that was horrific, it wasn't the most alarming of Edmund Kemper's misdeeds in the grand scheme of things.

Ed Kemper's difficult childhood sealed his fate as a violent criminal, despite his towering height and excellent IQ. Kemper was already severely disturbed at the age of 15, and among his later crimes was sleeping with the skulls of women he had murdered. He attributed a lot of his behavior to the tense relationship he had with his mother Clarnell Kemper, whose influence was very crucial in the growth of his wicked, deadly personality.

Edmund Emil Kemper the third was born on December 18, 1948. After Kemper senior could no longer handle it and left the family home, he grew up with his mother. Young Ed was now the main target of Clarnell's aggravation and failures, and she insulted him whenever she had the chance. His mother bullied and harassed him as a child by using his sisters. His mother took great pleasure in inflicting on his feelings of guilt about himself.

Clarnell, who was afraid of her son, forced him to spend the night among the scurrying rats in a dark cellar. It was difficult for Clarnell Kemper, to find a guy who could live up to her high standards, and she held Ed responsible for her difficulties. While Ed's father initially had custody of him, he quickly gave him up and moved him in with his grandparents on a farm, where they showered him with affection and gifts like a 0.22 rifle. As summer arrived, his mother received Ed back after he had used the rifle to kill numerous animals.

Ed Kemper continued to use his weapon to murder animals after returning to the farm until his grandfather took it away. When Ed's behavior continued to worsen, he was institutionalized. Despite having a sociopath diagnosis, Ed's physicians highlighted his intelligence and outgoing nature and thought he had positive traits that might be developed in the correct environment. The medical professionals who cared for Ed at the time were susceptible to manipulation. After all, his IQ was near genius level.

He was freed at the age of 21 and returned to his mother's home, the place that had formed him. They started having what he subsequently described as "vicious battles" very quickly. He obtained employment with the California Highway Department and acquired his residence. Yet she continued to monitor him, complaining to him every night on the phone. Like his father, Ed described her as a "manipulating, controlling beast."

Mary Anne Pesce and Anita Luchessa

May 7th, 1972. Two young women were hitchhiking when Ed, who is now 280 pounds and six feet nine inches tall, was driving his car along the freeway. They were Anita Luchessa and Mary Anne Pesce. They were picked up, but they soon discovered he wasn't taking them on the route he had promised. Then he pulled off in a quiet spot, getting into the rear seat. Pesce was handcuffed there by this enormous man, who also brought Luchessa to the trunk. She was about to be killed by this man.

He covered her head with a sack before stabbing her to death and then cutting her throat. He then proceeded to treat Luchessa in much the same way after going to the trunk. Yet Ed wasn't excited by the act of murdering. He wasn't necessarily a sadist; rather, what he desired was total power over the bodies of his victims.

He returned the remains to his flat, where he dissected and beheaded them. He subsequently recalled hearing a "little snap" as their heads detached.

Additionally, he said that Pesce, or at least what was left of her, had won his heart. He returned to the tomb where he had interred a piece of her, speaking to her as if they were dating. He admitted to the police that he was well aware of his deranged personality. Even though he knew what he had done was insane, it nevertheless seemed right. The next thing he said will forever be remembered: "When I see a lovely girl, part of me wants to talk to her and date her. I wonder how her head would look mounted on a stick, the side of me says”. For all you fans of serial killers out there, Ed Gein was originally mistakenly credited with saying these words in the film "American Psycho."

Ed admitted to the police that he lacked the confidence to approach a woman and begin a relationship. Instead, he turned them into "dolls." That made them easier to control. The creation of a new doll by him was inevitable.

Aiko Koo and Cindy Schall

Another hitchhiker was picked up by him on September 14, 1972. Her name was Aiko Koo. He murdered her before going to a nearby bar for a drink. He couldn't help but return to the victim in his car's trunk after finishing his beer. He claimed that "like a fisherman," he was proud of his catch. He treated her the same way he had treated his prior two victims. He preserved her head but buried the majority of her body.

Cindy Schall was picked up by him in January 1973. The following morning, after draining the blood from it in the bathtub, he sneaked her body back to his mother's house and dissected it there. He kept the head and used it for his customary stimulatory acts, as was now customary.

When he did bury the head, he positioned it in the yard such that it faced the direction of his mother's bedroom. Afterward, he claimed that he had done so because his mother cherished the idea of others admiring her. Police warned students to avoid riding in cars with strangers after several young ladies went missing in the same area. But they continued to do so, occasionally with Ed. One reason was that he spoke so clearly and appeared quite intellectual with his glasses on.

He had to stop, he knew in his heart. Ed Kemper recognized his madness. He was aware of his deceit. One prize in particular, he reasoned, might put an end to his craziness.

April 20th, 1973. At that point, Ed decided to face the monster he had been dodging his entire life: his mother. She had returned home that evening in typical drunken condition. She was reading in her room when Ed entered. He kept his gaze fixed on her. She was dozing off in her bed at 5:15 in the morning. She was struck in the head with a hammer by Ed as he entered the room. He seized her writhing body and cut her throat. He simply stood there and observed her, observing how frail she was. He questioned how this object in front of him had been able to exert such control over him for his entire life.

Clarnell Stage - Edmund Kemper's mother

He enjoyed this portion so much that he chopped off her head and threw her larynx down the drain. He claimed that the reason he did this was due to her constant whining throughout his life.

He screamed at what was left of her head for about an hour while occasionally using it as a dartboard, then he placed it on a shelf. Then, Ed called Sally Hallett, a close family friend of his mother, to speak. He requested that she visit the house since he had planned a surprise party for his mother. As he dozed off in his mother's bed next to her, he also killed her.

He came to a realization right then and there. Except for his mother, there had been no reason to kill anyone. Later, he remembered choosing to cease killing. He took a car to a call box far from his house and dialed the police. He claimed to have slain his mother and her companion, but when he notified the police, they didn't believe him and told him to contact them back later. Then he called back, this time requesting to speak with a police officer he knew. Ed used to go out drinking with the police at a nearby bar, which is one of the reasons he was able to get away with his crimes.

They would discuss their search for the murderer with him. Nobody ever suspected the friendly and intelligent fella Ed to be a killer. Later, he claimed in interviews that his victims would talk about the awful lunatic committing such crimes when they were in the car with him. "Man, how come they'd never suspect someone like me," he'd wonder.

The "Mindhunter" Netflix series was inspired by the FBI's new serial killer team, which used Ed Kemper as its main target due to his high intelligence and clear ability to deceive people. He may have appeared to be a monster to the general population, but for police, criminologists, and the media, he was a valuable source of information.

Ed requested the death sentence and that he be put to death before being tortured, but his requests were denied. He was put behind bars and subsequently denied parole on a few occasions. He was most recently turned down for parole in 2017, and he won't have another hearing until 2024. That will be his 76th birthday. Although he has always been regarded as a model prisoner, he may continue to serve time in prison as he nears the end of his life.