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Ed Kemper killed his grandparents when he was just15 years old. He was then admitted to the Atascadero State Hospital for seven years before he was discharged against the advice of state psychiatrists. Two years later, in 1972, he went on a killing spree and killed eight women. The victims included his mother and her closest friend. Kemper called an officer from the Santa Cruz police and turned himself in on April 24, 1973, from a phone booth.
Other than his mother and her friend, all of Ed Kemper’s other victims were female college students. They were all stranger to him. This made it difficult to trace their disappearance back to him. His very first murder after he was released from the mental facility, came to light in August 1972. This was when the head of Mary Ann Pesce, a 19-year-old student was found near a mountain in the area.
Ed Kemper’s killing spree lasted 11 weeks before he killed his mother on Good Friday in 1973. On September 18, 1972, only three days after Ed Kemper had murdered a 15-year-old Berkley girl, Aiko Koo, he was declared mentally stable by two court-appointed psychiatrists. Although his mother’s murder made it probable for authorities to catch him, Kemper turned himself in only 4 days after he killed her. He made the call from Pueblo, Colorado, in which he expressed fear of killing again, the New York Times reported.
According to the LA Times, Ed Kemper was fascinated by how the police worked while his series of murders were being investigated. This phenomenon is owed to the fact that such criminals desire to be captured by their antagonists in the hope of confiding in them.
What was Ed Kemper convicted of?
The court found Ed Kemper guilty of 8 counts of first-degree murder on November 8, 1973. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity after he confessed to the crimes on the witness stand. However, three court-appointed psychiatrists examined Kamper and found him to be legally sane. This meant that he was in a position to differentiate between right and wrong as well as understand the nature and consequences of his actions, the New York Times reported.
During the time of his tests after his arrest, authorities found that Kemper had an IQ of 130 and had memorized all the suitable answers for 28 psychological tests. He managed to do this when he was at Atascadero after killing his grandparents. Kemper was popularly known as the Co-Ed Killer.
Although Kemper reportedly asked for the death penalty, in 1973, the year when he was sentenced, the US had suspended capital punishment. He is currently imprisoned at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville. He is described as a model prisoner for his good behavior, according to the Mirror.
Over the years, Ed Kemper has given several elaborate interviews that have contributed to the study of criminal behavior. Among his conversations with several law enforcement entities and psychologists are his interviews with FBI’s John E. Douglas which were featured on “Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit.”
Very Scary People is an HLN original true-crime series. It follows the crimes of some of the most frightening and notorious killers in history. An episode of the series that will revolve around the crimes of Ed Kemper, the Co-Ed Killer. It will be aired on ID on Thursday, February 29, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET.
