Randy Kraft: Clever Computer Cover-up

Randy Kraft grew up in a quiet California town in the 1950's and he was a bright student. He graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1968. After coming out to his family in 1969, he lived a relatively open gay life and initially worked as a bartender in a gay bar. He later found a job working with computers and found that his job required some travel throughout California and Oregon.



In 1971, bodies of young men were found along the sides of the highways along the west coast. They had been brutally tortured, raped, and mutilated prior to their death. Most were missing their shoes & some had been burned with a cigarette lighter from a car.

Kraft was nearly arrested in 1975 when his car registration was linked to a victim whose head had been found near a marina. Various polaroid photos of unidentified men who appeared to be asleep or unconscious were found in his car. Randy was questioned in the murder of the victim found but without further evidence, police were forced to release him. Even with circumstantial evidence and a strong link to a victim, Kraft managed to get away.



In 1983, Kraft was finally arrested and charged with 16 homicides between 1972 and 1983. He was convicted on all counts & received the death sentence in 1989. Kraft was able to literally get away with murder for approximately 12 years under the guise of a quiet, computer geek.

Edmund Kemper: California Camouflage

At 6'9" and 300 pounds, Edmund Kemper was a formidable type. Considered a "gentle giant" by his cop buddies, he was never suspected of being a cold-blooded killer. Then again, his friends didn't know about his brutal past.



In 1964, when Kemper was 15, he fatally shot his paternal grandparents simply because he didn't like them. After spending several years in a psychiatric hospital, he was released into his abusive mother's care. This was specifically traumatic because his mother used to lock him in the basement for fear he would rape his sisters (among other things).

While living with his mother, Kemper started picking up young female hitch-hikers. He later admitted to authorities that he let most of them go without harm. However, he killed, decapitated, & committed necrophilia with 6 of them. After 6 practice kills, it was time to kill the ultimate victim, his mother. He killed Clarnell Kemper in her sleep with a claw hammer. Her body received the same treatment as those of his previous victims. When he was finished, he hid her body, then killed her best friend, Sally Hallett, the same way. Afterwards, he drove to a payphone and confessed to the killings. Police came and took him into custody.



It's easy to see that Kemper knew how to appear to be a gentle soul whom people trusted. Young women easily got into his car, his psychologists believed he was cured after his time in the mental hospital, and his mother didn't fear him at all. His mask had to be convincing just long enough to ensnare his victims and then they saw the real monster underneath.