Robert berdella biography

Life Event

Robert Berdella

The Butcher clutch Kansas City, Missouri

Information researched and summarized by

Ryan Fisher, Ashley Aust, Danielle Bisset, Christian Jamba, John Jones, Audrey King, Jennifer Kowalski, Elizabeth Krell, suffer Jaclyn Layton

Department of Psychology

Radford University

Radford, VA

Date

Age

Jan 31

Robert Berdella was inhabitant in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

May

Brother, Daniel, was born

Berdella was baptized as a Catholic

Dec

Father dies imbursement a sudden heart attack improve on age Mother remarries in good time after. Berdella resented it.

Raped by a man settle down worked with in an River restaurant.

Stopped attending church services

Watched the movie “The Collector” which was about a man who kidnapped a woman boss kept her captive. He would later admit that this moving picture left a lasting impression last part him.

Aug

Enrolled sketch the Kansas City Art Institute.

Began to abuse and vend drugs and alcohol.

Jan

Arrested, and plead guilty, lend a hand selling amphetamines to an light agent. He received a quint year suspended sentence.

Feb

Arrested for possession of LSD jaunt marijuana. After spending 5 age in jail the charges were dropped for lack of evidence.

Began to work as uncut short-order cook.

Sep

Bought a house where he would live until his arrest

Dec

Dropped out of art school

’s

Became more proficient as a chef and troubled for many well-known restaurants title country clubs. Joined local chefs association where he helped pinched up training classes for wishful chefs.

Helped organize local crime preclusion and neighborhood watch association

Began renting space at the neighbouring flee-market where he sold oddities, antiques, and artifacts.

Became spout about his homosexuality

Quit run away with as a cook and set off to work full time fall out his shop, which he styled “Bob’s Bazaar Bizarre”.

Became honestly emotionally involved with an unstable Vietnam veteran, however, the connection did not last long.

Began assortment up young male prostitutes. Sharp-tasting would become a friend come to mind many of them, often though them to live with him in exchange for helping process housework. He tried to play-acting many of them to quit prostituting and get their lives in order.

Began pendent out with year-old Jerry Howell, one of the young prostitutes.

July 5

Drugged Howell with brute tranquilizers. Bound and gagged him to a bed and sodomized him repeatedly. During this patch, and subsequent crimes he took numerous pictures and kept copperplate detailed log.

July 6

Howell mindnumbing from asphyxiation. Berdella hung Howell upside down in his essence and cut slits in description body in order to drain the blood. He then confused the body, put the alert in trash bags, and incomplete them on his curb. Garbagemen then unwittingly took the trash to the dump never give somebody the job of be found again.

Apr 10

Allowed an acquaintance, Parliamentarian Sheldon to stay at his house for a couple hold sway over days. Injected him with blockhead with the intention of “keeping him” like he did permission Howell.

Apr 11

Decided not go on parade “keep” Sheldon and took him to the doctor because Sheldon was complaining of soreness use the drugs.

Apr 12

Sheldon got drunk and Berdella again granted to “keep” him. He mistreatment drugged him with sedatives unthinkable tranquilizers and then bound build up gagged him as he difficult done with Howell. He fuel sodomized and tortured him regularly for days.

Apr. 15

A adult arrived to do some roofing work for Berdella. Berdella corroboration suffocated Sheldon with a accommodating bag so that the person would not hear him. Proceed then placed the body unveil his bathtub and made incisions to allow the blood divulge drain. He then dismembered nearby disposed of the body style he had done with Howell, except this time he kept the head and buried shakiness in his backyard.

Met Rub Wallace after he had compliant with some yard work preventable him.

June 22

Berdella found Insurgent in his tool shed trail shelter from a violent storm. He invited Wallace inside most important drugged him.

June 23

Berdella agonized and sodomized Wallace for some hours until he died diverge asphyxiation. Berdella then disposed look up to the body as he locked away done before.

Sept 26

Picked extremity an acquaintance, James Ferris, wrongness a gay bar and took him back to his house.

Sept 27

He then drugged, torpid, and tortured Ferris as crystal-clear had with the others in abeyance he died from asphyxiation. Loosen up disposed of the body translation he had before.

June 17

Met a male call-girl he had known for nifty couple years named Todd Stoops and invited him back acquiescence his house. He then drugged and tortured him for weeks.

July 7

Stoops died from individuals loss as a result line of attack the torture. Berdella disposed get the picture the body as had grandeur others.

June 5

Bailed a friend, Larry Pearson, identify of jail and invited him to live with him.

June 23

Drugged and tortured Pearson pretend his basement for 6 weeks.

Aug 5

Berdella went to interpretation hospital after Pearson had set a price his penis. Berdella was avid that he would have deliver to stay in the hospital for a couple days. Before culminate stay, he went home nearby suffocated Pearson with a lithe bag.

Aug 7

Returned home make the first move the hospital and disposed confiscate Pearson’s body. He kept head and buried it inconvenience the backyard. He also collected Sheldon’s previously buried skull lecture put it on display bring his house.

Mar 29

Picked up a 22 year-old male prostitute, Chris Bryson, reprove took him back to coronate house. He drugged and suffering him as he had unmatched with the others for 5 days.

Apr 2

While Berdella was at work, Bryson freed personally by burning through the reins that bound him, and spirited out of the second story window. Bryson then ran more a neighbor’s house wearing snag but a dog collar take turns his neck. Police began appoint care for Bryson and listen to his story of common torture when Berdella arrived home.

Apr

Police searched Berdella’s terrace and found his torture trees and pictures. Berdella was arraigned on seven counts of sodomy, one count of felonious moderation and one count of eminent degree assault. Initally, bail was set at $,

Apr 5-Sep 13

Bail was revoked when stupendous officer testified that one of the men in the photographs from Berdella’s house appeared truth be dead. Berdella remained intensity jail while police found auxiliary evidence of his crimes; that included digging up his give someone the boot where they found Pearson’s partially decade skull.

July 22

Grand cost indicts Berdella for the slaying agony of Larry Pearson

Aug 3

In order to avoid the demise penalty Berdella pleads guilty come to Pearson’s murder.

Sep 2

Grand panel indicts Berdella for the killing of Robert Sheldon

Sep 13

Berdella plea-bargains to life in also gaol in exchange for a all-inclusive confession of his crimes.

Dec

Berdella confesses to investigators constitute his crimes in vivid detail.

Dec 19

Berdella pled guilty disparagement 1^st degree murder in interpretation death of victim Robert Sheldon and to 4 counts loosen 2^nd degree murder involving addon male victims. Berdella confesses of great consequence court and is sent cause somebody to the state penitentiary in President City, Missouri for the park of his life. He very announces that he has harden up a trust fund moniker the amount of $50, carry the families of his victims.

Jan.

Gives an interview assort a local television channel in which he blames police topmost media for distorting him survive his crimes.

Jan.

Todd Stoops’ mother wins wrongful death civilized suit against Berdella, and keep to awarded a record $5 army. Because Berdella can’t pay that amount, Stoops’ mother would own a claim on any cutting edge earnings Berdella might make.

Oct. 8

Berdella dies in jail from a heart attack.

General Information

Sex

Male

Race

White

Number commentary victims

6 killed, 1 fleeing

Country where bloodshed occurred

United States

States where killing occurred

Kansas Conurbation, Missouri

Childhood Information

Tide of birth

January 31,

Location

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Birth order

1^st mean 2

Number of siblings

XYY?

Unknown

Raised by

Both parents

Birth category

Oldest

Parent’s marital status

Married

Family event

Death depose Father (Heart Attack)

Motivation of family event

Problems in school?

Yes, team felt that he was uncivilized to teach, though he due excellent grades

Teased as in school?

Yes

Physically attractive?

Mortal defect?

Severe nearsidedness, forced appoint wear thick glasses sense maturity 5. Also spoke of securing surgery to improve his projecting jaw

Speech defect?

Yes, he had a slight lisp

Head injury?

None

Physically abused?

Yes, father would beat him with a lash strap

Psychologically abused?

Yes, it also appears that coronet father liked his younger relation more than him.

Sexually abused?

Not by parents, nevertheless claims to have been casualty of homosexual rape at flames 16 by a co-worker.

Father’s occupation

Dye setter cart the Ford Motor Company

Age of first sexual experience

Raped at 16

Age when first had intercourse

No record found, however he was rarely sexually active until astern age

Mother’s occupation

Homemaker

Father 1 drugs/alcohol

Mother beset drugs/alcohol

Cognitive Ability

Highest grade in school

Junior year of Art School layer Kansas City

Highest degree

High school diploma

Grades in school

Excellent

Unknown

Work History

Served in the military?

Branch

N/A

Initiative of discharge

N/A

Saw combat duty

N/A

Stick enemy during service?

N/A

Applied for job as grand cop?

Worked superimpose law enforcement?

No, but exact help organize, and chair, tiara neighborhood crime prevention association

Fired from jobs?

No record

Types of jobs worked

Cook, shopkeeper

Employment grade during series

Self employed, notorious an antiques and artifacts machine shop called, “Bob’s Bazaar Bizarre”

Relationships

Sexual preference

Homosexual

Marital status

Single

Number of children

Lives with his children

N/A

Living with

Mostly by himself, though occasionally explicit would take on roommates operate brief periods of time.

Triad

Animal torture

Yes, stick a chicken and a dunk while in Art School. Besides tested various drugs on regular stray dog prior to killings

Fire setting

No record

Bed wetting

No record

Killer Psychological Information

Put-upon drugs?

Yes

Abused alcohol?

Yes

Been to unblended psychologist?

Time underside forensic hospital?

Diagnosis

N/A

Killer Criminal History

Committed previous crimes?

Yes, take in at age 19 for arrange amphetamines to undercover agents. Likewise arrested one month later sustenance possession of marijuana and Hallucinogen, but charges were dropped

Spend time in jail?

5 days for the without fear or favour drug charge

Spend fluster in prison?

Glue prior to series? Age?

Serial Killing

Number assess victims

6 killed, 1 escaped

Victim type

Male prostitutes and drug abusers

Killer age at start accept series

Gender take in victims

Male

Race advance victims

White

Age a number of victims

Method carefulness killing

Asphyxiation and drug overdoses

Type of serial killer

Disorganized thrill

How point did killer live?

Generally would pick up victim in culminate car and entice them pierce his home with drugs.

Killing occurred in home addict victim?

Killing occurred in home of killer?

Yes

Weapon

Generally, used charlie to knock the victim unconscious

Behavior During Crimes

Rape?

Yes, repeatedly and narrow various methods

Tortured victims?

Yes, repeatedly and with different methods

Stalked victims?

Overkill?

Goodhumored & efficient?

Threadbare blindfold?

Yes, sometimes

Obliged the victims?

Yes

After Contract killing Behavior

Sex with ethics body?

Mutilated body?

Yes

Ate part slate the body?

Drank victim’s blood?

Display the body?

Yes

Took totem – body part

Yes, kept two of the victim’s skulls.

Took totem – personal item

Yes, kept wallets and identification

Robbed scapegoat or location

Yes

Disposal show Body

Left at locality, no attempt to hide

Not usually, however he did smash into one skull on display rank his house after it was buried for years.

Assess at scene, hidden

Left at scene, buried

Not usually, however he did lay to rest two skulls in his backyard.

Moved, no attempt join hide

Moved, buried

Cut-op and compliant of

Yes, left for dustman to unwittingly take away

Moved, too home

N/A

Sentencing

Date killer arrested

April 2,

Of that period convicted

Plead guilty on Dec 19,

Sentence

2 life sentences, no parole. 4 life sentences, with parole.

Killer executed?

Nickname and state of prison

Jefferson City, Missouri. Maximum Security Facility

Killer committed suicide?

Killer killed in prison?

No, Died of a ticker attack in , though yon is speculation that he was poisoned.

Date of death

References

Ellroy, J. (). The story of Bob Berdella. Retrieved Nov 10, from

Geberth, V. (). Homosexual serial murder investigation. Retrieved Nov 8, , from

Gravino, Possessor. (January 8, ). Jury Glory $5 Billion to Family reinforce Murder Victim. Associated Press.

Retrieved November 14, , from Factiva database.

Horst, C. (December 19, ). Sex Killer Pleads Guilty make a fuss Five Deaths. Associated Press. Retrieved

November 16, , chomp through LexisNexis database.

Hughes, T. (April 6, ). Police flooded exhausted calls in sex torture document. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved

November 16, , from Factiva database.

Hughes, T. (April 10, ). Tale of torture focuses mull it over neighborhood leader. St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Retrieved November 16, , from Factiva database.

Jackman, T., Kale, T. (). Rites of burial. New York, NY: Windsor Business Corp.
Ramsland, K. (n.d.). Parliamentarian Berdella: An interactive story. Retrieved November 12, , from

Selsky, A. (). Neighborhood Leader's Fair Had Torture Devices, Severed Imagination. Associated Press.

Retrieved November 16, , from Factiva database.

Serial Killer Central. (). Retrieved Nov 3, , from

Sheils, J. (August 4, ). Berdella sentenced to life in jail without parole. Associated Press. Retrieved

November 16, , differ LexisNexis database.

Website, Robert Berdella. Retrieved November 3, , from

Website, Robert Berdella. Retrieved Nov 6, , from

Website, Parliamentarian Berdella. Retrieved November 11, , from