Jerry Brudos

Diary Entry #2

November 27, 1968

Diary Entry #1

Jan 31, 1952

I am so tired. I was driving all day yesterday on the road. I usually don't pick up hitchhikers, but this one girl seemed desperate. She had beautiful shoes. When I picked her up, she said her name was... Jan I think. I was too focused on her shoes to pay attention.

To elaborate, her shoes were really nice. I just couldnt contain myself. So, I pulled over and kindly asked her to give me her shoes and underwear. She was really rude and struggled, but I eventually got them. She was a lot nicer when she stopped moving. I complimented her and we eventually had sex.

I'm so tired i dont remember where I put her body. A shame. Going to get some sleep.

Bye 4 Now,

Jerry Brudos

It was my birthday today. I almost forgot. I didn't get any presents from Eileen or dad today. Eileen always tells me she regrets this day. I should have been a girl. Maybe my name would have been Jeralyn or Jeradine. Anything but Jerry Brudos is worth something.

...

I just went down to ask for cake, and Eileen hit me. I dont know why. She said I would have deserved cake if I was a girl. She's never happy with me.

I have nothing to do so I think I'm going to go look for that girl from the grocery store. I remember where she lives so it should be easy to find her. She has really nice shoes. Maybe if I go to her house I can get some underwear too! I just need something to do so I dont have to be hit by mom.

Bye 4 Now,

Jerry Brudos

Karen Sprinker

Linda Salee

Description of Capture

This is the nylon knot that hinted the offender

of these murders was an electrician.

Analysis of Crimes

Linda Slawson

Jan Whitney

• The police interviewed students at Oregon State University and interviewed female students about the murder
• Some reported they received phone calls from a man claiming to be a Vietnam Veteran looking for a date
• One student actually went out with the caller. The police asked her to call them if the man ever called again and to set up a meeting
• The man, who turned out to be Brudos, called and agreed to get together with the young woman. Instead of a date, Brudos found the police waiting for him when he arrived

Linda Slawson was going door to door selling encyclopedias when she knocked on Brudos' door. He lured her to his workshop where he knocked her out and strangled her. He redressed her body and cut off her foot so he could try out shoes on it. Her body was tied to a car engine and thrown into the Willamette River.

Jan Whitney was giving a ride to two men when her car broke down. Brudos offered to help,

and he dropped off men before bringing Whitney to his house. Brudos strangled, redressed, and raped her before using a hook and pulley system to hoist her body in the air. He kept her breast to make a paperweight, then tied and threw her body into the Willamette River.

Karen Sprinker was at a department store to meet her mother. Brudos used a pistol to get her to his car and drove her home to his workshop. He raped her and forced her to wear clothing that he collected. He hanged her using his hook and removed both breasts. Her remains were found in Long Tom River, tied to an engine head with nylon rope.

Brudos caught Linda Salee by using a fake police badge and the threat of shoplifting. He brought her to his home where he strangled, raped, and placed wires in her ribcage to make her dance with an electric current. Salee's remains were found in Long Tom River, tied to car transmission box with nylon rope.

• With a search warrant, police found a trove of evidence, including nylon rope and pictures of his victims.

• During an interrogation, Brudos admitted to the four murders as well as several other assaults and attempted abductions. He was first charged with the Salee and Sprinker murders.

• Brudos eventually pled guilty to the murders of Salee, Sprinker, and Whitney.
• He received three consecutive life sentences with the possibility of parole, though he never succeeded in attaining this.

• On March 28, 2006, Brudos died of natural causes at the Oregon State Penitentiary Infirmary, as the longest incarcerated inmate there at the time.

Diary Entry Analysis

These are letters that Jerry Brudos had personally handwritten. Although the content of the letters is not significant, the graphology tells us a deeper meaning.

1. There are two different handwritings in each letter.

Diary Entry Analysis

2. The handwriting is tense and slow.

3. When writing "I" in script,there is only a top loop. This indicates problems with his mother.

4. The slight angle of the handwriting indicates hints of anger.

Case History/Background Information

The Shoe Fetish Slayer

Jerome Brudos (1939-2006) was a serial killer and a necrophiliac, also known as "The Lust Killer" and "The Shoe Fetish Slayer".

As he was growing up, Brudos moved quite frequently with his family, living in Oregon, California, and South Dakota at different points. He was born as the youngest of two sons, and his mother, who wanted a girl, was very displeased and disappointed in him. As a result, he was constantly belittled and abused by his mother.

He developed a shoe fetish after finding a pair of high-heeled shoes in a junkyard at five years old, and he began to steal underwear and shoes at an early age. His teen years were spent in psychotherapy and mental hospitals.

Other than his disturbing thoughts/obsessions, Brudos lived a seemingly normal life, marrying and settling down in Salem, Oregon with two kids. He was also an electronics technician. As he was living this domestic lifestyle, however, Brudos was secretly acting out his twisted desires by targeting many women.

Analysis of Mental State

• Brudos was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 17
• He was also a necrophiliac, meaning he had a sexual attraction to dead bodies
• He attributed his sexual perversions and attacks to revenge against his mother and women in general
• He developed a dark fantasy life to compensate for his rough childhood, and he began to act on his disturbed thoughts
• Brudos frequently experienced severe migraine headaches and blackouts
• After his capture, Brudos attempted to plead not guilty by reason of insanity
• However, Brudos was considered legally sane by mental health experts, since he knew what he did was wrong, and he never showed remorse for his actions

4:00 - 5:46

Katie Ahne, Jennifer Choi, Soobeen Kang, Kevin Ma, Juhi Trivedi

Period 11

Jerry Brudos