Edmund Kemper III grew up in a home defined by fear, humiliation, and emotional violence long before he became known as “The Co-Ed Killer.” Standing 6’9’’ with a calm, almost gentle demeanor, Kemper hid a darkness that even seasoned investigators struggled to comprehend. In this episode, we dive deep into his early life, the fractured family that shaped him, and the warning signs that appeared years before his first murder.

We follow Kemper’s path from a troubled childhood, to the shocking killings of his grandparents, to the series of murders that terrorized California’s college communities in the 1970s. Through his chilling confessions, manipulative intelligence, and unsettling cooperation with law enforcement, Kemper became one of the most disturbing figures in American criminal history.

This episode breaks down:

• Kemper’s childhood and early psychological patterns

• His murders at age 15

• The escalation into the Co-Ed Killer era

• How he evaded suspicion despite inserting himself into police circles

• His relationship with his mother and the final crimes that ended his spree

• His eerie calmness as he turned himself in and described his actions in detail

Sources:

• Ressler, R. K., & Shachtman, T. Whoever Fights Monsters. St. Martin’s Press, 1992.

• Douglas, J., & Olshaker, M. Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit. Scribner, 1995.

• Cheney, M. L. The Co-Ed Killer: A Study of Murder. Pinnacle Books, 1976.

• Merril, C. Edmund Kemper III: The Life of the Coed Killer. Crime Publishing, 2015.

• “Edmund Kemper Case File.” California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

• Los Angeles Times Archives – Coverage of the 1972–1973 Santa Cruz murders.

• Santa Cruz Sentinel Archives – Reports on Kemper’s arrest and trial.

• FBI Behavioral Science Unit Interviews with Edmund Kemper, Quantico (1973–1974).

• “The Co-Ed Killer.” AHC / Investigation Discovery Documentary.

• “Edmund Kemper — The Coed Killer.” Murderpedia.org entry.

Israel Keyes is one of the most calculated, unpredictable, and terrifying serial offenders in American history. In this episode, we walk through his life from childhood to his final days in custody — and trace the crimes he thought he’d buried forever.

You’ll hear how Keyes built a double life: a quiet father and construction worker on the surface, but a roaming predator who traveled the country, buried “kill kits,” chose victims at random, and struck wherever he felt opportunity. We cover the abduction of 18-year-old Samantha Koenig in Anchorage, his cross-country movements, his hidden caches, the disturbing tapes from his interrogations, and the long-suspected crimes that investigators still believe he committed.

This episode follows the full timeline — his early life, military years, the Koenig case, the Currier double homicide, his years of planning, his interrogation strategy, and what investigators uncovered after his death. No dramatics, no embellishment — just the verified, documented story of one of the most elusive serial killers the FBI has ever investigated.

Sources

• Callahan, Maureen. American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century. Viking Press, 2019.

• Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Israel Keyes Case Files and Interrogation Transcripts.” FBI Records/The Vault.

• Anchorage Police Department. “Koenig Abduction and Investigation Timeline,” 2012–2013.

• United States Department of Justice. “United States v. Israel Keyes — Court Documents & Exhibits,” 2012.

• Vermont State Police. “The Currier Homicide Investigation Summary,” 2011–2013.

• KTVA 11 News (Anchorage). “Full Coverage: The Disappearance of Samantha Koenig,” 2012.

• The Anchorage Daily News. “Timeline: Israel Keyes’ Activities, Confession, and Death,” 2012–2013.

• CBS 48 Hours. “Alaska Wilderness Murder: The Case of Israel Keyes,” Season 26 Episode 47.

• Department of Defense. “Service Records: Israel Keyes, U.S. Army 1998–2001.”

A man who seemed to appear and disappear at will. He crept into homes, watched victims for days, terrorized entire communities, and evaded police across multiple counties. He was first known as the Visalia Ransacker, then the East Area Rapist, then the Original Night Stalker — and eventually, the world came to know him as the Golden State Killer.

This episode follows the full evolution of his crimes: the escalation from burglaries to assaults to murder, the fear that gripped neighborhoods, the survivors who refused to stay silent, and the investigative failures that allowed him to continue unchecked. Finally, we trace the scientific breakthrough that changed everything: the use of genetic genealogy to identify Joseph James DeAngelo, a former police officer hiding in plain sight.

Told through detailed research and narrative storytelling, this is the story of how one of America’s most elusive predators was finally unmasked after more than four decades of terror.

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CITED SOURCES McGough, Matthew. “The Hunt for the Golden State Killer.” Los Angeles Times, 2016, https://www.latimes.com/projects/man-in-the-window/.

St. John, Paige. Man in the Window: The Golden State Killer. Wondery, 2019, https://wondery.com/shows/man-in-the-window/.

Earley, Pete. Sudden Terror: The Hunt for the Golden State Killer. Berkley Books, 2018.

Holes, Paul, and Robin Gellman. Unmasked: My Life Solving America’s Cold Cases. Celadon Books, 2022.

Sharon, Michallove. “The Golden State Killer: Joseph James DeAngelo and the Power of Genetic Genealogy.” The New York Times, 28 Apr. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/28/us/golden-state-killer.html.

Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Golden State Killer Case Files and Timeline.” FBI.gov, 2018, https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sacramento/news/press-releases/fbi-seeks-information-in-golden-state-killer-case.