The Serial Killer You Should Really Care About

If the advent of true crime media has taught us anything, it’s that Americans are hooked on the macabre. Wife-killers, child abductors, cannibalistic actors—we just can’t get enough. And few stories have sparked as much interest over the years as that of serial kidnapper, rapist, and murderer Ted Bundy.

For decades, Bundy has captivated the public as a mystifying contradiction of seemingly unlimited potential and insatiable violence. In 2019, he reentered the spotlight following the release of a Netflix docuseries and Hollywood heartthrob Zac Efron's portrayal in the film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. With the conversation surrounding Bundy often fixated on his intelligence, charisma, and good looks, some worry that this killer's celebrity status will overshadow the memory of his victims and heinousness of his crimes.

Bottom line: Ted Bundy isn’t really all that and a bag of chips. And he isn’t worth another minute of your time.

But that doesn’t mean you have to abandon that unhealthy serial killer obsession you try to hide from your mom!

For your consideration, I present: Edmund Kemper, aka “The Co-ed Killer.”

If you’re a fan of the Netflix series Mindhunter, you’re already familiar with Kemper, masterfully portrayed in an Emmy-nominated performance by actor Cameron Britton. Despite his exceptional intellect and marked impact on investigative analysis, Kemper has largely been passed over by true crime junkies, never attaining the pop culture status of household names like Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Jeffrey Dahmer. As far as serial killers go, Kemper is seriously underrated.

So why should you drop Bundy for this guy?

1) He turned himself in.

He literally called the cops and confessed, and they didn’t take him seriously. He then called them again, asked to speak with an officer he knew, and revealed that he was responsible for several unsolved murders. He cooperated with the police and was forthcoming about his crimes.

2) He asked for the death penalty.

After being found guilty on eight counts of first-degree murder, he requested “death by torture.” Cruel and unusual punishment is, of course, prohibited by the Constitution, but the thought has to count for something, right?

3) He’s basically the genesis of the serial killer profile.

Over the years, Kemper has assisted law enforcement in developing a more comprehensive understanding of serial killer behavior. He describes killing as a compulsion and has said that he participates in interviews to save others from going down the same path.

4) He’s smart.

Like really, really smart. Bundy’s IQ was 136. Kemper’s is 145. Kemper has a remarkable ability to evaluate and articulate his own psyche, with famed FBI criminal profiler John Douglas describing him as “among the brightest” prison inmates he interviewed and capable of “rare insight for a violent criminal.”

5) Since his conviction in 1973, Kemper has been a model prisoner.

For nearly thirty years, he narrated audiobooks for the blind (which, honestly, I’d love to hear, because his voice is strangely calming). He’s also into ceramics.

6) Are you a fan of The Silence of the Lambs? NBC’s Hannibal?

Ed Kemper served as one of several inspirations for Thomas Harris’s iconic villain Buffalo Bill. He’s further intertwined with the series in the form of character Jack Crawford, based on the aforementioned Douglas, who interviewed Kemper in prison and wrote the book upon which the Mindhunter series is based.

Ted Bundy spent his life manipulating those around him and building a false image that has since been cemented in true crime history as an undeserved legacy of conniving brilliance and manipulative charisma. In truth, he was a remorseless murderer who brutalized countless women and offered the families of his victims no solace or closure.

By contrast, Ed Kemper has taken responsibility for his actions. He’s worked with experts to explore the mind of a serial murderer, allowing law enforcement unprecedented access to the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of a man who feels compelled to kill. He’s honest, straightforward, and eloquent. He’s not a sadist. As far as one can ethically be a serial killer enthusiast, Kemper is about as good as it gets.

Violent criminals shouldn’t be glamorized or put on a pedestal. We shouldn’t be “stanning” serial killers. But if we’re going to be morbidly obsessed with murder, let’s raise the bar a little higher than Ted Bundy. If you’re looking for new killers to satisfy your true crime obsession, give Edmund Kemper a go.