Jerry Brudos: The Lust Killer

The life and the crimes of Jerome “Jerry” Brudos is one of the most haunting and most controversial psychopaths and murder in American history. Known for his crimes on young women while living with his wife and children, he was given the name “The Lust Killer” because of his fetish for women’s shoes as well as dressing in his victims’ clothing as trophies for his crimes. Apprehended and tried in 1969, he died in prison on 2006 (Biography 1).
Biography
Born on January 31, 1939, in Webster, South Dakota, Brudos had a troubled childhood which stemmed from his strained relationship with his mother. He and his family moved around several times while he was growing up, and spent time in Oregon, California, and South Dakota. He is the youngest member
He first killed her and had sexual intercourse with her corpse. He brought her body in the workshop and dressed and photographed it. He also removed her breasts and kept it with him (Biography 1). He next assaulted a 19-year-old Oregon State University student Karen Sprinkler and took her home, raped her, and killed her. He also removed her breasts when she died. Another victim, Linda Salee, was abducted and raped and murdered at the same workshop. He dumped her body in the river. The difference with Salee’s case is that her body was the first to be discovered by the police. A strange knot on the nylon rope was used to tie her body to a car part to weigh her down. The following days, Sprinkler’s body was found and with the same knot was used to her body. An investigation soon followed in the University. The police found out that female students were called randomly by a man who claimed to be a Vietnam War veteran and was asking for a date. One student actually went out on a date and experienced the encounter wherein the man made references to the dead women. The police set up an entrapment and Brudos was
It should also be noted that his mother was contemptuous of him because she initially wanted a baby girl, and was disappointed that Brudos turned out as a boy (Biography 1). This combination of nature and nurture affected his life and development that it turned him into a psychopath – seemingly normal and has relationships with others, only that he manipulates them to get into his criminal activities and devious actions. Psychopaths are known to create relationships with other people to manipulate them (Mailbom 170) and in Brudos’ marriage, it is evident that he used and manipulated his wife by not letting her come inside the garage (where the victims’ bodies are at) and only lets her in when she asks him through the intercom he fitted (Biography