Thanks to Netflix’s cerebral psychothriller, Mindhunter, we have Ed Kemper on the brain. A fictionalized version of the “Co-Ed Killer” first appears in episode two, when FBI agent Holden Ford (played by Jonathan Groff) travels to a California prison to pick the murderer's brain about his crimes.
Cameron Britton, who plays Kemper, steals the show. His towering presence and uncanny resemblance to the real-life murder make for supremely creepy television.
Needless to say, being reminded of Big Ed made us feel, well, uncomfortable. But a recent tidbit, discovered by Reddit user OttawaMan35, adds another freaky layer to Kemper lore...
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Cameron Britton (left), as Ed Kemper in "Mindhunter"
Photo Credit: Netflix
As it turns out, the real-life Ed Kemper also has a taste for charity. While in prison, he spearheaded an initiative wherein he and his fellow inmates recorded hundreds of audiobooks for the blind. Kemper shared his enthusiasm for the project with the Los Angeles Times in 1987, saying he loved “the good feeling it gives me after what I have done.”
Related: Edmund Kemper, “The Co-ed Butcher” of Hitchhiking Students
In case you need a refresher: Edmund Kemper got his first taste for blood back in 1964 when, driven by a desire to “see what it felt like to kill Grandma,” he murdered his grandparents. Further arrests and psychiatric care ensued, though neither were able to successfully temper his violent impulse. By April 1973, Kemper had brutally slayed eight women—including his own mother—over the course of eleven months. Necrophilia, dismemberment, dissection (and a whole lot more) were all parts of Kemper’s MO. He even admitted to cannibalism later on, though this statement was eventually denied.
Sorry, Ed, but you’re never getting back into anyone’s good graces. In any case, a segment of Kemper’s recording of Flowers in the Attic—yes, that V.C. Andrews book that scarred you as a kid—is available for your listening pleasure on Soundcloud. Check out to the audio below, and get your very own bedtime story from the “Co-Ed Killer.”
