Edmund Kemper
Edmund Emil Kemper III (born December 18, 1948) is an American serial killer convicted of murdering seven women and one girl, between May 1972 to April 1973. Years earlier, at the age of 15, Kemper had murdered his paternal grandparents. Kemper was nicknamed the Co-ed Killer, as most of his non-familial victims were female college students hitchhiking in the vicinity of Santa Cruz County, California. Most of his murders included necrophilia, decapitation, and dismemberment.
Edmund Kemper | |
|---|---|
Mug shot of Kemper taken on April 28, 1973 | |
| Born | Edmund Emil Kemper III December 18, 1948 Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Co-ed Killer Co-ed Butcher Ogre of Aptos The Mad Titan Big Ed |
| Height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Motive |
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| Conviction(s) | First-degree murder (×8) |
| Criminal charge | None (1964 arrest; murders deemed "incomprehensible for a 15-year-old to commit") First-degree murder (×8; 1973 arrest) |
| Penalty | Life imprisonment (×8; concurrent) |
| Details | |
| Victims | 10 |
Span of crimes | August 27, 1964 – April 21, 1973 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | California |
Date apprehended | August 27, 1964 (first arrest) April 24, 1973 (second arrest) |
| Imprisoned at | California Medical Facility |
Found sane and guilty at his trial in 1973, Kemper requested the death penalty for his crimes. Capital punishment was suspended in California at the time, and he instead received eight concurrent life sentences. Since then, he has been incarcerated in the California Medical Facility in Vacaville.