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Randy Steven Kraft is an American serial killer known as the Scorecard Killer, the Southern California Strangler and the Freeway killer. He had murdered a minimum of 16 young men between 1972 and 1983. He is also believed to have committed the rape and murder of up to 51 other boys and men. He was convicted in May 1989 and is currently incarcerated on death row at San Quentin Prison in Marin County, California.
Randy Steven Kraft was born in Long Beach, California, on March 19, 1945. He is the fourth child of Opal Lee and Harold Herbert Kraft. By adolescence, Kraft had a keen interest in politics. He has aspirations of becoming a U.S senator. He was regarded as a pleasant, bright student who received good grades. He later came out as homosexual and kept his sexual orientation a secret. On June 13, 1963, he graduated from his high school and in the same year enrolled at Claremont Men's College.
Four months after graduating from college, Kraft joined the U.S. Air Force. In his service within the Air Force, Kraft rose to the rank of Airman First Class and supervisor-manager. The same year he became an Airman First class, he revealed to his family that he was a homosexual. His father was in rage and his mother was more understanding but disappointed. Kraft had soon received a general discharge from the Air Force because of his sexuality. In March 1970, Kraft invited a 13-year-old youth to his apartment where he drugged and sexually assaulted him. The child soon escaped and went to the hospital for his damages and drugs. Kraft was not charged because the child took the pills voluntarily and did not mention he was sexually assaulted.
In 1971, Kraft met fellow student Jeff Graves after enrolling at Long Beach State University. Kraft moved in with Graves and stayed together until 1975. Graves was the one that introduced Kraft to bondage and drug-enhanced sex. These tactics would later be used in Kraft's rapes and murders. After their relationship ended, Kraft met Jeff Seeling at a party and started a new relationship. Kraft introduced Seelig to the gay bar scene and taught him about cruising a nearby U.S. Marine base for partners to engage in sexual activities. As Kraft advanced in his career, he began spending time away from home and tension rose. The two began to drift apart ending their relationship in 1982. Kraft's relationship with Seelig is believed to be a contributory factor in the sudden lull in murders he is known to have committed.
Kraft became known as the Scorecard Killer because investigators discovered a coded list containing cryptic references to his victims upon his arrest. He is also referred to as the Freeway killer because of the many bodies of his victims that were discovered beside or near freeways.
Between 1971 and 1983, Kraft is believed to have killed a total of 67 victims. All of his suspected victims were males between the ages of 13 to 35. Kraft was only charged with and convicted of 16 of these homicides. Many of his victims had been enlisted in the U.S Marines Corps, and most of his victim's bodies showed evidence of high levels of both alcohol and tranquilizers in their blood systems. Kraft had typically lured victims into his vehicle with an offer of a lift or alcohol. Inside the vehicle, the victims would be plied with alcohol and/or other drugs. The victims were then bound, tortured, and sexually abused before they were killed by either strangulation, asphyxiation, or bludgeoning. Many of the victims would then be discarded alongside or close to freeways in Southern California. Many of the victims were burned with a car cigarette lighter, usually around the genitals, chest, and face. The majority of Kraft's murders were committed in California, with some being in Oregon and Michigan.
Kraft's first suspected murder victim took place on October 5, 1971. Police found the nude body of a Long Beach resident named Wayne Joseph Dukette.Putrefaction had erased any signs of foul play upon the body, and the cause of death was listed as acute alcohol poisoning. 15 months after the murder of Dukette, Kraft killed a Marine named Edward Daniel Moore. His body was found beside the 405 Freeway in Seal beach. An autopsy revealed he had been bound about the wrists and ankles, then beaten with a blunt instrument about the face before being garrotted. Six weeks after murder of Moore, the body of an unidentified male was found alongside the Terminal Island Freeway in Los Angeles. The victim had been strangled by a ligature. By January 1975, a total of 14 victims, whose bodies had been found discarded across four separate counties within the previous three year, had been linked to the same killer (Kraft). Kraft had been investigated by detectives but was later released. He then later began killing again in 1979 up to 1983.
On May 14, 1983, two California Highway Patrol officers observed Kraft drive erratically on Interstate 5 in the Orange County community. Officer Michael Sterling met Kraft and had him perform a sobriety test, which he failed. Sterling arrested Kraft for driving while intoxicated. Sterling's partner approached the vehicle and observed a young man slumped with his eyes closed in the passenger seat. The man was identified as Terry Lee Gambrel and denounced dead. Kraft was initially charged with driving under the influence and was held in custody as detectives conducted a search of the vehicle. Investigators found a belt that matched the bruising around Gambrel's neck. There were other incriminating evidence found in his vehicle. A search of Kraft's home revealed further incriminating evidence, including clothes and personal possession of numerous young men who had been murdered over the last decade.
Anti-social Personality Disorder is the pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others. It is the dysfunctional thought process that solely focuses on the social irresponsibility with exploitative, delinquent, and criminal behavior with no remorse. Anti-social personality disorder falls into one of four cluster-B disorders. It is characteristically present with unpredictable, emotional, and dramatic interactions with others.
Some symptoms of antisocial personality disorder is lying, breaking laws, being arrogant, to act impulsively, and lack regard of their own safety and others. These symptoms may lessen with age. They tend to antagonize, manipulate or treat others harshly or with callous indifference. They show no remorse for their behavior. For teenagers, it is most common to start from 14-18 years-old. For young adults, it is most common to start from 19-40 years-old. For adults, it is common to start from 41-60 years-old. For seniors, it is most common to start from 60+.
There are different factors that could attribute to ASPD. Genes may make you vulnerable to developing antisocial personality disorder-and life situations may trigger its development. Changes in the way the brain functions may have resulted during brain development. ASPD also requires a history of childhood Conduct Disorder (CD), the diagnosis used for persistent and serious childhood behavior problems. There are also other disorders that may be confused with ASPD. Narcissistic personality disorder, Borderline personality disorder, and Substance use disorder.
To be diagnosed with ASPD, a person will usually have a history of conduct disorder before the age of 15. It is diagnosed after rigorous psychological assessment. A diagnosis can only be made if the person is ages 18 years or older and at least 3 of the following criteria apply: Being consistently irresponsible, lack of remorse, repeatedly breaking the law, repeatedly being deceitful, being irritable and aggressive, having reckless disregard for their safety or the safety of others, or being impulsive or incapable of planning ahead. These signs must be part of the person's everyday personality. This behavior usually becomes most challenging during the late teens and early 20s. It may improve by the time the person reaches their 40s.
Some complications that might arise due to ASPD might include: Spouse abuse, child abuse/neglect, being incarcerated, issues with alcohol or substance abuse, homicidal or suicidal behaviors, premature death, usually a result of violence, low social and economic status and homelessness. A person with ASPD might also suffer from other metal health disorders such as anxiety or depression.
Evidence suggests that behavior can improve over time with therapy, even if core characteristics such as lack of empathy remain. ASPD is one of the most difficult types of personality disorders to treat. Treatment for someone may also depend on factors such as age, offending history and whether there are any associated problems, such as alcohol or drug misuse. Different types of therapy for ASPD are family therapy, cognitive therapy, behavior therapy, and psychotherapy. In the US, there are over 200,00 cases of ASPD every year.
Kraft had some symptoms of ASPD. He exploited, manipulated, and violated the rights of others, he had difficulty sustaining long-term relationships, and he repeatedly broke the law. Kraft was never diagnosed with ASPD and he never had medical/psychological treatment. Kraft was not abused as a child, and he was not known for being aggressive according to his relationships. There are no known biological factors that could attribute to anti-social behavior.
The FBI's Crime Classification Manual places serial killers into three categories: organized, disorganized, and mixed. Kraft would be organized because he planned his murders to an extent and he moved the bodies to a location where he couldn't be tracked. He had fit the profile for most serial killers being considered gifted at a young age. He also joined the Air Force to have a superiority over others. A lot of serial killers join the military, police department and medical field.
https://murderpedia.org/male.K/k/kraft-randy.htm
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/antisocial-personality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353928
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/antisocial-personality-disorder/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546673/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/antisocial-personality-disorder-a-to-z