The Haunting Saga of Edmund Kemper: The Co-ed Killer

Early Life and Troubled Beginnings

Edmund Emil Kemper III entered the world on December 18, 1948, in Burbank, California. As the middle child and the sole son in a family of three, he was born to Clarnell Elizabeth Kemper and Edmund Emil Kemper Jr., a World War II veteran who later worked as an electrician in California. From a young age, Kemper was a physically imposing figure, weighing a hefty 13 pounds at birth and towering over his peers by age four.

The Kemper household was far from harmonious. Clarnell, Kemper's mother, was a domineering and neurotic presence in his life, often belittling and abusing him. Their relationship was fraught with tension, exacerbated by Edmund Jr.'s absence following the couple's divorce in 1961. The separation left young Kemper to endure his mother's wrath alone, a fact that would later play a significant role in his psychological development.

Kemper's childhood was marked by disturbing behaviors. He decapitated his sister's dolls, fantasized about killing his teacher, and engaged in morbid games like "Gas Chamber" and "Electric Chair" with his siblings. He also displayed early signs of cruelty to animals, burying a family cat alive and later decapitating another.

Amidst the chaos, Kemper's relationship with his father was a rare source of solace. However, this bond was shattered when his father remarried and distanced himself from his first family. At 14, Kemper attempted to escape his turbulent home life by moving in with his father, only to be shipped off to live with his paternal grandparents in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

The First Murders

It was in this isolated environment that Kemper committed his first murders. On August 27, 1964, at the tender age of 15, he shot and killed his grandmother, Maude Matilda Kemper, after a heated argument. When his grandfather, Edmund Emil Kemper Sr., returned home, Kemper shot him as well, fearing the older man's reaction to Maude's murder. The adolescent Kemper later claimed that he killed his grandmother "to see what it felt like," and his grandfather to prevent him from discovering the crime.

Following these shocking acts, Kemper was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and placed in Atascadero State Hospital, a facility for mentally ill convicts. However, the hospital's psychiatrists disagreed with the initial diagnosis, noting his high intelligence and lack of psychotic symptoms. Instead, they characterized him as having a personality trait disturbance, passive-aggressive type.

Imprisonment and Release

While at Atascadero, Kemper proved to be an exemplary inmate. He administered psychological tests to fellow inmates and even developed new scales for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. His high IQ, measured at 136 and later 145, impressed his psychiatrists, who eventually deemed him rehabilitated.

On his 21st birthday, December 18, 1969, Kemper was released on parole to his mother’s care, despite recommendations against it. Clarnell had since moved to Aptos, California, working as an administrative assistant at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The toxic dynamic between mother and son resumed, with frequent and vicious arguments echoing through their home.

Kemper tried to integrate into society, attending community college and working various jobs. Despite being rejected from joining the police force due to his size—he stood at an imposing 6 feet 9 inches—he maintained friendly ties with local law enforcement, earning the nickname "Big Ed."

The Co-ed Murders

Between May 1972 and February 1973, Kemper embarked on a gruesome killing spree, targeting young female hitchhikers in Santa Cruz County, California. These victims, often college students, were subjected to horrific fates—abduction, murder, necrophilia, and dismemberment. Kemper's murderous impulses were often fueled by explosive arguments with his mother, whom he viewed as his ultimate target.

The First Victims: Mary Ann Pesce and Anita Luchessa

On May 7, 1972, Kemper picked up 18-year-olds Mary Ann Pesce and Anita Luchessa, hitchhiking students from Fresno State University. He drove them to a remote area, where he handcuffed, stabbed, and strangled Pesce before similarly killing Luchessa. These murders marked the beginning of Kemper's reign of terror.

Kemper's brutal actions continued, claiming the lives of several other young women. Each murder followed a chillingly familiar pattern: abduction, murder, and post-mortem acts of depravity. He later confessed that his victims served as stand-ins for his deep-seated rage against his mother.

Arrest and Trial

Kemper's killing spree came to an end in April 1973. He turned himself in to the authorities, confessing to his heinous acts. During his trial later that year, he was found sane and guilty, receiving eight concurrent life sentences instead of the death penalty, which was suspended in California at the time. Since then, Kemper has been incarcerated at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, where he remains to this day.

Legacy of a Killer

Edmund Kemper's story is a chilling reminder of the complexities of the human psyche and the devastating impact of a toxic upbringing. Dubbed the "Co-ed Killer," his calculated and gruesome crimes continue to haunt the annals of true crime history.

Sources

For further details and a comprehensive view of the case, the original Wikipedia entry can be accessed at Wikipedia: Edmund Kemper.