Perhaps every person has watched Silence of the Lambs at least once in his life, as he has long been a cult horror film. However, few people know that the prototype for Buffalo Bill was precisely the American serial killer Jerry Brudos. His unhappy childhood led to the fact that he constantly felt hatred towards young women who personified the image of his mother for him. This article will talk about what caused this person to become not only a killer, but also a necrophile, as well as a shoe fetishist.
Childhood
Jerome Henry Brudos was born back in 1939 in a small town in South Dakota. It is known that, like most serial killers, his tendencies came precisely from early childhood, or rather, from very complex relationships with his mother. He was the second child in the family, so he became pregnant, his mother hoped for a girl. When Jerry Brudos himself was directly born, she was very disappointed in this and throughout her childhood she perceived her child only as a burden, which she constantly told him about.
Compelled to fear a domineering mother, he gradually began to live in his own world. It is believed that it was in the early years of his life that a shoe fetish appeared in him - so he began to steal shoes and underwear from his neighbors. It was a simple childhood obsession with high-heeled shoes that laid the foundation for a crazy series of murders and became the hallmark of this maniac.
The beginning of the criminal path
Looking at the photo of Jerry Brudos, it is simply impossible to say that he really was one of those for whom the term "serial killer" was subsequently coined. He actually had quite a few murders, especially when compared with others, but they were so crazy that even now his case is being studied in every criminal course.
His criminal path began with sexual urges. Jerry Brudos really could not express them as a normal person - his shoe fetish became overwhelming. He never in his life was able to overcome it and build a normal relationship - the problems with his mother resulted in the fact that he simply became a woman hater. As you know, he committed his first criminal act of violence against a girl at the age of 17 years. It is not known whether the victim was really just one or there were several, but even that was enough to send the teenager to a psychiatric clinic in Oregon. He spent nine whole months there, after which it seemed that for some time his instincts had calmed down. He calmly was able to finish his studies at school and received the profession of mechanical engineer.
Adulthood
Jerome Brudos hardly aroused any suspicion from anyone. Having married at 22, he had two children with his wife and seemed like a typical family man, loving his loved ones. But in reality, his instincts continued to operate - he was a real monster undercover, incredibly cruel with fetishes on underwear and women's shoes. In his house there was a special room, which he called his office and no one in the family dared even enter. It was in this room that he kept all his secrets, and to reveal them, it took a large number of years.
First killings
Originally, Jerry Brudos was not really a killer. It is not known exactly how many women he attacked and pursued during the 1960s. But at some point, he simply crossed the line. If you look closely at the photo of the victims of Jerry Brudos, then at first glance it might seem that these women are different - different colors of eyes and hair, he did not have such an established type - he was hunting just for young women.
The first killer victim was Linda Slavson in January 1968. The girl went from house to house selling encyclopedias when her path reached the house of Brudos. He pretended to be interested in the product and invited him to his house. Having strangled the girl, he kept her dead for some time - he later said that this was done in order to be able to change her at will. Ultimately, when he decided to throw her into the river, he previously cut off his leg in order to use it to model shoes.
Whitney
Jerry Brudos committed the second murder in November of that year, that is, almost a year later. The victim was Jen Whitney. They also met quite by accident - a woman had a car breakdown on the highway, and he offered to fix it. Having driven to his house allegedly for tools, he lured her and strangled her with a belt. Bringing the corpse to his office, he constantly raped him in various poses, and then hung him on hooks. He held him for some time, gradually cutting off one breast and then the other, but by Thanksgiving he had to get rid of him, as a driver crashed into the house’s garage, and the police requested an inspection of the house to determine the amount of damage.
Final killings
However, it became clear that Brudos began to desire blood, so that by the spring of 1969 he again went hunting. The new victim was Karen Speaker, whom he met near the supermarket. The girl was waiting for her mother. Initially, she did not attract Brudos - her shoes were completely not what he liked, but still Karen was beautiful, and he chose her. He initially raped her, and only then killed her. He also cut off her breasts and tried to make some monstrous device out of him. It is known that he took pictures of all his victims in the most sophisticated poses, although they were usually hung on hooks.
After a couple of weeks, he again tried to attack, but was frightened off by an approaching car. The woman managed to escape, but the maniac was already brutalized. And this was reflected in the last victim - Linda Sali. He experimented for some time on her corpse, trying to make him move with the help of electric current, but nothing came of it. After some time, he also threw away the corpse.
Exposure
Soon, one fisherman discovered Linda's body in the river, and after a while Karen's body was found. The police found that they were connected in exactly the same way, and therefore there was a suspicion that one person was acting. He was identified by one of the girls, whom he at one time could not get to go with him. The police finally got the opportunity to search his house and the cherished room.
And truly great booty awaited them. A large number of perverted photographs, nylon cords and a hook on the ceiling, as well as a huge variety of trophies. All this made it possible for the police to put him in the dock.
Arrest
A psychiatric examination recognized this killer as fully responsible, and therefore he had to be fully responsible for his actions. On June 27, 1969, Jerry Brudos was convicted of three premeditated murders, since the body of the first victim was never found, but even for this he received 3 life sentences. Surprisingly, the maniac completely denied his guilt and spent 37 years behind bars until his death he behaved almost perfectly. He died in prison on March 28, 2006 at the age of 67 from cancer, becoming the longest inmate in Oregon.