The following is the first 4 chapters of my book “Edmund Kemper: The True Story of The Brutal Co-ed Butcher”

The Home Where Demons Were Sown

“What do you think his sentence should be?” the reporter asked the judge. The judge replied that, if he had it his way, Kemper would be tortured to death. Instead of fulfilling his wish, during the penalty phase of the trial, the judge sentenced Edmund Kemper to eight concurrent life sentences. Kemper’s sentencing took place in November of 1973. The judge was not able to sentence Kemper to the death penalty because California had already eliminated capital punishment. At the time of his sentencing, Edmund Kemper was 25 years old. He was found guilty on 8 counts of first-degree murder and would become known as the “Co-ed Killer,” though his victims were not restricted to college co-eds. For Edmund Kemper, the descent into madness occurred early on.

Born December 18, 1948, in Burbank, California, Edmund Kemper was large from the start, weighing in at 13 pounds. By the time he was four years old, Edmund was a head taller than his peers. Edmund was the middle child of Edmund Emil Kemper II and Clarnell Kemper; he had two sisters. E.E. Kemper II was a veteran of World War II. After the war, the Kempers had settled in Burbank, which at the time was a small town located in Los Angeles County. E.E. worked at the Pacific Proving Grounds where he tested nuclear weapons. He later became an electrician. The town of Burbank had grown during the war because Lockheed Aircraft had chosen it as a site for the production of planes.  By 1943, Burbank had a population of 53, 899.

Both of Edmund’s parents were strict disciplinarians, and their marriage was strained. Clarnell Kemper was known to be a difficult woman. It has been suggested that Clarnell may have suffered from borderline personality disorder. Edmund’s father would later state that bomb testing was nothing compared to being married to Clarnell. He even said that being married to Clarnell had more of an impact on him “than three hundred and ninety-six days and nights of fighting on the front did.”

Edmund felt close to his father, as his mother was distant towards him, rarely showing him any affection. His feelings for his mother fueled a rage that would escalate with the passing of time, a rage that would foretell the destiny of both him and his mother. If Edmund’s rage was a ticking time bomb, then the lighting of the fuse was the divorce of his parents in 1957. Edmund was only nine years old when his father moved out; his mother was left with full custody. Clarnell moved Edmund and his two sisters to Montana. It was during this time that Edmund started to express his anger and violent tendencies.

At age 10, Edmund buried the family’s pet cat alive; he later dug up the dead cat and played with it.  When he was 13 years old, he killed another family cat because it favored the company of his sister, Allyn. Edmund butchered the cat with a machete knife and placed its remains in a closet. When his mother made the grisly discovery, Edmund denied any responsibility for the cat’s death.  Years later, as an adult, Edmund would reveal in an interview that he took pride in the fact that he could successfully lie about the cat’s death and that he could appear to be an average person despite the rage and fear that he felt inside.

As a child, Edmund considered himself to be a chronic daydreamer, often fantasizing about committing acts of violence against others, in particular, his mother. He would set fires and engage in play that was violent, like dismembering his sisters’ dolls, or pretending that he was in a gas chamber and mimicking the convulsive movements of a dying prisoner. At 10 years old, Edmund’s mother made him sleep in the basement of their home out of fear that he might harm his sisters. To prepare the basement for him, Edmund’s mother simply placed a mattress in the dark, barren room. Edmund would later recall the single, bare bulb that provided light in the rat-infested quarters that was his bedroom.

A few years later, Edmund could not take living with his mother anymore. He decided to run away so that he could be with his father, thinking that this would make his life easier. He was 14 years old at the time. His hopes for a better life were short-lived; they were dashed when he arrived at his father’s home in California. Edmund II had remarried and had a stepson through his new wife. He was less than enthusiastic to see his son but allowed Edmund to stay with him for a while before sending him back to his mother in Montana. Upon returning to his mother’s home, Edmund discovered that his mother was also planning to remarry. Like her ex-husband, Edmund II, Clarnell was not interested in having Edmund back. To remedy the situation, Clarnell decided to wash her hands of Edmund and sent him to his paternal grandparents in North Fork, CA.

Barely a teenager, Edmund was unwanted by both of his parents. His father, the only person who he felt close to, was starting a new life without him. His mother, who he held such deep anger for, was about to marry her third husband. He felt unwanted, was friendless, and was doing poorly in school. He wanted a connection with other people, especially girls or women, but he felt completely inadequate. His mother’s cruel and domineering ways had burned a hole in his soul. To fill up that hole, he went deeper into his fantasies of violence and killing. What he could not know was that his fantasies would materialize into reality upon his arrival at his grandparents’ ranch.

The Carnage Beings

The town of North Fork is located in central California, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The town has three restaurants, two gas stations, and one grocery store. The home that Edmund’s grandparents, Edmund Kemper Sr. and his wife Maude, offered the 14- year old Edmund was not dramatically different from that of his mother. Maude was also authoritarian in her discipline and emasculated him just like his mother had.

Edmund spent as much time as possible outside to avoid dealing with his grandparents, especially Maude. His grandfather had bought him a .22 gauge rifle so that he could go hunting; however, his grandfather had taken it away from him when he discovered that Edmund had been shooting birds and animals that were not game animals. He had been shooting them just for the sake of killing, especially birds.  Edmund’s grandfather later allowed him to have his rifle back, thinking that Edmund had learned his lesson.

On the morning of August 27, 1964, Maude was in the kitchen, working on a children’s book that she was writing while her husband went grocery shopping.  Edmund entered the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, looking for something to eat. Maude made a comment about him sleeping in late and being useless when it came to helping out around the house. Edmund felt his mind drifting into that dark space that was filled with hate for his mother. He felt a surge of rage flood his body. Edmund stormed back to his room, leaving his grandmother happy that she could get under his skin.

Minutes later, Edmund returned to the kitchen with his .22 caliber rifle. Maude did not think anything of it, figuring that he was going hunting. “Don’t shoot any birds!” she said to him firmly. Edmund pointed his rifle at Maude and pulled the trigger. The first bullet went through her head. Still pumped with emotion, he fired two more shots into her back. Edmund felt like he was in a daze when he realized what he had just done. He dragged his grandmother’s body into her bedroom and placed her in the closet. Still, something about killing his grandmother left him with a sense of satisfaction.

His thoughts then turned to his grandfather; he would be returning any time now. Out of a distorted sense of compassion, Edmund felt that he had to also kill his grandfather as well. He did not want his grandfather to have to go through the experience of finding his wife murdered. Edmund looked out of the living room window and saw his grandfather’s car pulling up in the driveway. Edmund stepped out the front door and pointed his rifle as his grandfather was getting out of the car. After the shot rang out, his grandfather collapsed on the pavement. At the age of 15, Edmund Kemper had taken the lives of two people.

With both grandparents now dead, the reality of what he had done hit Edmund and he did not know what to do. He called his mother and told her what he had just done. His mother told him to call the police, which he did. Edmund sat in the kitchen as he waited for them to arrive. He was arrested and taken down to the police station, where he was interrogated. When asked why he had killed his grandmother, Edmund replied: “I just wanted to see what it felt like to kill her.”

When Institutions Fail

Edmund was placed in Juvenile Hall pending the California Youth Authority’s determination of where to place him in the long term. Psychiatrists at the California Youth Authority diagnosed Edmund as being paranoid schizophrenia, with an IQ of 136, near genius level. The California Youth Authority decided to place him in Atascadero State Hospital. 15-year old Edmund entered Atascadero State Hospital on December 6, 1964.

Atascadero State Hospital is a maximum-security facility located on the central coast of California that houses mentally ill convicts. In the late 1990s, there was an exodus of clinical staff from the Hospital because they felt that housing sexually violent predators went against the hospital’s mission of providing the highest quality care to those who had serious mental illness. For the hospital staff, housing sexually dangerous offenders went against that mission because it diverted time and resources.

Experts who are familiar with Edmund’s case believe that his referral to Atascadero State Hospital was an irresponsible decision. At the time Edmund was admitted to Atascadero, there were 1600 patients. Of those patients, 24 were murders, and 800 were sex offenders. The hospital only had 10 psychiatric staff members to serve this population.

Not only did Edmund not receive the quality of treatment needed for an offender of his age, his short stay at Atascadero only enhanced his ability to carry out his future crimes. Edmund spent four years at Atascadero. During that time, he gained the trust of his counselor, even befriending him. His ability to act as a model patient earned him a position as assistant to the staff, which meant he had access to psychological test papers and diagnosis criteria. Since Edmund was very bright, he was able to educate himself on how to fool the clinicians into believing that he was fully rehabilitated. He passed all of their psychological testings with flying colors, leading the hospital’s medical team to believe that there was no longer a need to contain him.

Despite the recommendations provided by his doctor at Atascadero, the California Youth Authority released Edmund to the custody of his mother in 1969. His doctor had urged them not to release Edmund to his mother, given her past abusive behavior and her psychological issues. Additionally, there was no psychiatrist on the panel for Edmund’s parole hearing, and no aftercare plan was offered.  Edmund was now 21 years old, had killed two people, spent four years in a maximum security hospital, and was now being ordered to return to the person he hated the most, his mother.

Clarnell had moved from Montana to Santa Cruz, California. Her marriage to her third husband had not worked out and had ended in divorce. Clarnell found a job as an administrator at the University of California at Santa Cruz. While he stayed with his mother, Edmund continued to experience emotional abuse from her. She frequently attacked his sense of self-worth, just as she had with her three ex-husbands.

Edmund attended a community college and worked a series of odd jobs as part of his parole requirements.  With his juvenile criminal record expunged, Edmund eventually landed a job with the California Department of Transportation in 1971. Edmund wanted to be a state trooper. He had applied, but he was disqualified. Edmund was 6’9″ tall and weighed 300 pounds. According to height and weight standards, recruits needed to be between 211-234 pounds.

Edmund wanted to get his own place and, through his job at the California Department of Transportation, he was able to save enough money to move into an apartment in the city of Alameda, which is located near San Francisco. He shared the apartment with a roommate. However, he was frequently unable to pay his rent and had to resort to moving back with his mother.

Edmund found himself facing a life that he felt was as confining as being in Atascadero. He had failed in his ability to support himself. He wanted to socialize and meet girls, but he lacked any confidence with women. He had never kissed a girl or been on a date. He was 21 years old, had killed two people, had spent the last four years in a mental hospital, and was back living with his mother. How could he ever hope to start a relationship, especially with his background? At least in Atascadero of his needs were met.

Days of Training

Edmund’s anger toward his mother only grew more intense. She had made him feel like a failure for all of his life. The anger that he held towards his mother carried over to women in general; although, he did want to socialize and have a relationship with them. As an outlet for his frustration, he engaged in voyeurism, and Santa Cruz was the perfect place for this.

Santa Cruz is a magnet for young people. Located on the northern edge of Monterey Bay and south of San Jose, Santa Cruz offers a great environment for those who enjoy an outdoor lifestyle and are open to free-thinking. The climate is moderate, and there are majestic coastlines, towering redwood forests, and plenty of wide, open spaces. Hippies, flower children, and college students are attracted to Santa Cru for its alternative community lifestyles and socially liberal attitudes, as well as its university. In 1970, the population of Santa Cruz was just over 32,000: a small university town nestled amid California’s natural beauty. Young people felt safe there and hitchhiking was common.

While working for the California Department of Transportation, Edmund had managed to save enough money to buy a motorcycle. One day while out riding, Edmund was involved in an accident when a car hit him. Edmund received a settlement of $15,000 from a civil suit that he filed against the driver. He used the money to purchase a yellow Ford Galaxy.

His violent fantasies became stronger and more frequent. In the beginning, Edmund cruised the highways and roads for young females who were hitchhiking, with no other intention than to look at them, to engage in voyeurism. At some point, conflicting forces took over, and the rage and anger that he had for this mother trumped his desires to merely look at the young women. Edmund purchased a gun and a knife and was able to obtain a pair of handcuffs. He found himself obsessed with putting his dark fantasies into action.

Edmund did not start killing the girls he picked up right away. He would later tell authorities that he had picked up around 150 hitchhikers and let each one of them go without incident. At first, he picked up female hitchhikers who he found attractive; he had an attraction to small and petite girls. As he drove them to their destination, he would observe their behavior and how they reacted to him. He learned ways to make them trust him, to gain their confidence. While he was learning to make his passengers feel comfortable, his violent fantasies of what he wanted to do to them became more intense. With each hitchhiker Edmund picked up, he was rehearsing how he would kill them. He gained insights by reading police novels, finding tips such as keeping his car door locked once he had a passenger inside, or how to give others the impression that he was safe. He rehearsed killings hundreds of times before actually doing it.

He practiced the art of picking up girls for over a year, during which time each girl reached her destination safely. That is, until May 7, 1972. That is when the killings started. Edmund was working through a mental tug-a-war. He would later say in an interview with detectives: “I was scared to death of having a relationship with women. I am picking up young women, and I am going a little farther each time. It’s a daring kind of thing. First, there wasn’t a gun. I am driving along. We go to a vulnerable place, where there aren’t people watching, where I could act out and I say, No, I can’t. And then a gun is in the car, hidden. And this craving, this awful raging, eating feeling inside, this fantastic passion. It was overwhelming me. It was like drugs. It was like alcohol. A little isn’t enough.”

From Fantasy to Reality

When Mary Ann Pesce and her friend Anita Luchese failed to arrive at Berkley, California, their parents filed a missing person report. Both girls were students at Fresno State College and were hitchhiking to Stanford University. They had planned to spend a few days in Berkley. Police did not give the missing girls a high priority because of the high number of runaways and the transients nature of the Bay area. Additionally, the police thought, teenage girls often spend time with friends or boyfriends without telling anyone. While the lack of a rapid response by the police must have been deeply frustrating for the girls’ parents, an immediate response by police would not have made a difference this time.

Edmund had picked up Mary Ann and Anita from the highway on May 7, 1972, and driven them to a secluded area. He tied up Anita and left her in the car. He took Mary Ann at gunpoint into the woods. He stabbed her multiple times and left her for dead. He then went back to the car for Anita. He could not believe that he had killed Mary Ann and was fearful that Anita would tell on him. Anita could see the blood on his hands, which concerned him. He told Anita that he had got into a fight with Mary Ann and had punched her in the nose. He said that she should go with him to take care of her. Before Anita could react, he started stabbing her repeatedly with his knife. He would later tell investigators that the knife that he used was inadequate for the job. He had to stab her numerous times to kill her, as the knife would not penetrate the overalls that she was wearing.

Edmund put the bodies of both girls in the trunk of his car and slammed it shut. He was about to drive away from the scene but was unable to find his car keys. He panicked as he believed that he had left them in the trunk of the car. After several futile attempts to open the trunk, Edmund panicked and ran away. While running, he tripped and fell. In his excitement, he forgot about the gun that he was carrying, causing it to drop to the ground as well. He realized that he needed to calm down and gather his wits. As he calmed down, he realized that his car keys had been in his back pocket the whole time. He drove around with Anita’s body in the trunk as he tried to figure out what to do next.

Eventually, Edmund decided that the best place to bring them was his apartment. Among the items that he kept in the car in preparation for committing murder were blankets. Edmund wrapped both girls’ bodies in blankets and carried them one by one into his apartment. Once in his apartment, Edmund removed the girls’ clothes and dissected and decapitated them. Edmund dumped the bodies in a remote ravine, but he kept the heads in his apartment for a few days before disposing of them as well. A feeling of power washed over him. He felt that he had appeased his inner demons. For now.

Four months passed since Edmund had killed Mary Ann and Anita. Mary Ann’s body and head were discovered, but Anita’s remains were not found. No one had suspected that Edmund was the killer. During Edmund’s reign of terror, other serial killers were also committing murders in the areas around Santa Cruz, which may have added to the confusion.

On September 14, 1972, 15-year old Aiko Koo was hitchhiking on the highway. Aiko was trying to get to her dance class and she had given up on waiting for the bus. It was evening. Edmund spotted her on the side of the road. Aikoo hesitated before accepting a ride from him. Edmund was bolder this time, as he was gaining confidence. He went directly for his gun. Aiko started to panic, which was a problem for Edmund, as he could not control his vehicle and her at the same time. He persuaded her that he had the gun because he was going to commit suicide and that she would not be harmed if she did not attempt to signal for help from the police or other nearby cars.

Edmund turned off onto a mountain road and drove until he found a secluded spot. He grabbed and restrained Aiko, wrapping tape around her mouth so that she could not speak or breathe. He jammed his fingers up her nostrils so that she could not breathe; her struggling ceased when she lost consciousness. To Edmund’s surprise, Aiko regained consciousness a few minutes later. He grabbed her scarf and strangled her, not letting up until he was sure that she was dead.

Edmund threw her body into his trunk and drove away. His confidence in his ability to kill, and get away with it, was growing, so much so that he stopped off to get a beer at a local bar, the Jury Room.

The Jury Room was a bar that was a frequent hangout for police offers. Edmund was always interested in the police and enjoyed talking to them. Since murdering Mary Ann and Anita, he had added incentive to go to the Jury Room to see if he could catch any conversations about their murders. The police at the bar referred to him as “Big Ed” and thought of him as a polite, articulate, and gentle individual.  After a few drinks, Edmund drove to his mother’s home to visit. Neither the police at the Jury Room nor his mother had any idea that the car that was parked outside contained Aiko’s body.  Edmund even took time to excuse himself from these social visits to take another look at the body.

Like many serial killers, Edmund would often keep trophies of his victims. Besides body parts, he would keep articles of clothing, photographs, and other personal items.

After leaving his mother’s home, Edmund drove back to his apartment. He transferred Aiko’s body from the trunk of his car to his bed, where he laid her down. As with Mary Ann and Anita, he dissected her body and removed her hands and head, which he disposed of in various locations. Later on, he disposed of the rest of her body. Aiko’s remains were never located and authorities did not connect her disappearance with Mary Ann and Anita.

The day after killing Aiko, Edmund attended a meeting with a group of psychiatrists, as a requirement of his parole. The purpose of the meeting was to evaluate Edmund’s progress and to check if he was adhering to the conditions of his parole. Edmund told the two psychiatrists exactly what they wanted to hear. They were satisfied with the fact that he was attending college and doing well. They also liked that he was actively searching for a job and was obeying all the conditions of his parole. Both psychiatrists reported that Edmund was not a danger to others and that he seemed normal. They did not know that Edmund had killed three women since his release. They did not know that one of those women, Aiko, had been killed just the day before.

The following day, the San Madera police department received a dealer’s records of sale for a .44-caliber revolver that was purchased by Edmund Kemper. Sergeant Aluffi was chosen to follow up on Kemper to determine if he was authorized to have it. Sergeant Aluffi went to Edmund’s home, which was difficult to find given the layout of the houses in the area. Eventually he found it; however, there was no one home. He then remembered that other officers had mentioned that Edmund frequented the Jury Room. He drove to the Jury Room and upon his arrival saw a vehicle pull into the Jury Room’s parking lot. As he watched, he saw a huge man exit the vehicle. The sergeant knew instantly by the size of the man that it was Edmund.  He approached Edmund, who moved toward the trunk of the car.

Sergeant Aluffi advised Edmund that he was here to take his gun, as he needed to determine if he was authorized to own it. Edmund advised him that it was in the trunk of the car. When Edmund moved toward the trunk of the car, Sergeant Alfuffi advised him not to move and that he would open the trunk. When Sergeant Alfuffi opened the car’s trunk, he found the gun wrapped up in a blanket. When the gun was checked, along with Edmund’s background, no red flags were raised. Because he was a juvenile when he had killed his grandparents, the records of his crimes had been expunged.

Edmund’s next murder involved his mother’s home. He was growing cocky in his ability to kill undetected. On January 8, 1973, Edmund picked up Cindy Schall, who was hitchhiking. Edmund shot her and took her body to his mother’s home; she was out. Edmund carried Cindy’s body to his room, where he was staying at the time. Just as with his previous victims, Edmund dissected then dismembered her body and decapitated her.  The following day, Edmund dumped her bloody body parts in the pristine oceans around Santa Cruz. As for her head, he buried it in his mother’s backyard. He buried it directly in front of his bedroom window so that it would face him.

The police would later get a call from beachgoers who came across Cindy’s body parts, which had washed ashore. The police had yet to connect Edmund to any of his past murders, let alone link his past victims to each other. Edmund felt so sure of himself that he continued to visit the Jury Room on a regular basis. The University of Santa Cruz, in partnership with the Santa Cruz police, started an awareness campaign to warn students of the danger of hitchhiking. They released this message:

“When possible, girls especially, stay in dorms after midnight with doors locked. If you must be out at night, walk in pairs. If you see a campus police patrol car and wave, they will give you a ride. Use the bus even if somewhat inconvenient. Your safety is of first importance. If you are leaving campus, advise someone where you are going, where you can be reached and the approximate time of your return. DON’T HITCH A RIDE, PLEASE!!!”

On February 5th, Edmund got into a heated argument with his mother. He stormed out of his mother’s house and hopped into his car. His urge to kill kicked in; killing provided a release for the intense anger that he had for his mother. During this particular drive, Edmund’s windshield was adorned with a parking permit from the University of Santa Cruz, which he had got from his mother. It allowed him to drive onto campus, looking for potential victims. He cruised around the interior of the campus area and spotted Rosalind Thorpe.

He offered her a ride and she got into his car without any hesitation. He drove a little further and spotted another co-ed hitchhiking, Alice Liu. Seeing Rosalind in the passenger seat and the University’s parking permit on Edmund’s car, Alice got into the backseat without any concern. Edmund was so confident in his ability to kill that he did not even attempt to find a secluded area to park. As they drove, on the empty highway, Edmund distracted Rosalind by pointing to a scenic view of the ocean. As Rosalind looked through the passenger window, Edmund shot her in the head, killing her instantly. Alice screamed and tried to escape. He stopped the car and shot her in the head. As she was still alive, he shot her three more times in the head and then continued to drive as though nothing had happened.

Edmund found a quiet place on the side of the road and placed both bodies in the trunk of his car, taking the time to wrap them up in blankets. He brought the bodies to his mother’s home. She was not home, so he carried the bodies to his room where he beheaded them. He had sex with Alice’s body and then dismembered the two bodies. He also took the time to remove the bullets from both of the heads. He disposed the body parts in the area of Santa Cruz and the heads and hands in the city of Pacifica. In March, hikers in San Mateo County came across a skull and jawbone near Highway 1; the bones belonged to different people. When detectives searched the area further, they recovered a second skull that belonged to the jawbone found by the hikers. The remains belonged to Rosalind and Alice.

Edmund would later tell investigators after his arrest, that each of the co-eds that he killed was a “practice run.” He was sharpening his skills to kill. All of this “training” was building him up so that he would be able to murder the one person who stood at the center of his rage: his mother. Edmund told the investigators, “I lived as an ordinary person most of my life, even though I was living a parallel and increasingly violent other life.” That “increasingly violent other life” would boil over on April 21, 1973.

 

Check out the rest of Edmund’s story for Free on Amazon.

 

 

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