Writing a Danger to Society: Kemper Chronicles

* This is a unique social experiment: writing to individuals behind bars. This journey isn't about judgment or condemnation; it's about forging exploring dark complexities of the human experience. Each individual will have their own feed under the "Pen Pals" category. 
​There will be real-time updates on this project as it unfolds (which may take time), and I welcome your suggestions and feedback along the way. ​

       Ed Kemper was denied parole, again, on July 9th, 2024, with the prosecution declaring him to still be a danger to society. This comes as no surprise to those familiar with this notorious serial killer, as the heinousness of his crimes is overshadowed only by his lack of both remorse and empathy. Today, Kemper resides in a medical prison where he was moved after several trips to an outside hospital due to complications with his severe diabetes. Other than that, unverified sources say he is otherwise relatively healthy and can still walk though he frequently uses a wheelchair to get around. Another source said that Kemper recently met with a journalist numerous times, in person and over the phone, insinuating that there should be a new book or documentary coming in the near future. Disappointingly, no title or release date was given; but he has been featured in several newer works. As well, since being incarcerated Kemper has recorded thousands of hours of audiobook narration and assisted the FBI in the development of their Behavioural Science Unit, though most recently he’s said to have accosted a female staffer while transferring into his wheelchair. This of course only worked against him at his parole hearing earlier this month, where he was denied (for the twelfth time). His is not my most familiar case, but not for lack of intrigue. I’ve watched some interviews and read a few articles, but I’ve not yet dove into the depths of his mind...

Update: 05-12-2025
There is still nothing. I can't say that I'm not disappointed, but at the same time...I'm not surprised. Kemper is currently 76 years old. It's possible his mind has regressed or deteriorated to a point where his pride is all that's left. I've seen it several times working in hospice, where the constant demands of life can result in such profound cognitive fatigue that the desire to speak diminishes. No decline in ability, more a loss of desire or loss of motivation. Sometimes, I suppose, it can feel as though there is nothing more to say...or no point; you can explain things to people, but you can't understand it for them. And as sinister as minds like Kemper can be, that doesn't negate their intellectual capacity. ​

In the case of Kemper, intelligence is in no short supply. Sometimes, I wonder if that may have been his downfall. With such a high IQ (145), eccentricity and cognitive overload are frequent enough to consider that perhaps his gruesome and devastating acts of violence may have been an extreme result of this separation between superior intellectuality and those of average intelligence. His uninhibited antisocial tendencies not withheld, it is possible that Kemper may have unconsciously rationalized the consequences of his actions so thoroughly, using rational processing and primal curiosity rather than emotional thinking. He ultimately lacked the capacity for remorse. I do not say this to downplay or condone his actions. No, there is nothing quite as chilling as such an absolute disconnect from the human experience that one can casually turn themselves into police and nonchalantly confess to not only the murders, but to there being two human heads in the trunk of the car. By all accounts, his cavalier indifference has always been chilling. 
Maybe that's why I wanted so badly to hear back from him. To have a piece of terrifying true crime history, to prove to myself that one of the boogeymen that I've dedicated so much of my time to analyzing and understanding actually exist. He's not the only one, and I've already started reaching out to others.

Update: 03-03-2025
I've still not heard anything from Kemper, though I have to be honest...I hadn't held much hope, and I definitely didn't have any expectations.
While this, developing pen pal relationships, is an endeavour that I am excited and motivated to pursue. However, it is also a tedious, between finding prospective recipients, writing the letters, and then writing about the experience along the way...it's time consuming one. Extra time is something I have little of. So, for now, I chip away at my seemingly endless to-do list, and I roll with the punches while pieces fall into place for the next step.

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Original Post:
      Ed Kemper was denied parole, again, on July 9th, 2024, with the prosecution declaring him to still be a danger to society. This comes as no surprise to those familiar with this notorious serial killer, as the heinousness of his crimes is overshadowed only by his lack of both remorse and empathy. Today, Kemper resides in a medical prison where he was moved after several trips to an outside hospital due to complications with his severe diabetes. Other than that, unverified sources say he is otherwise relatively healthy and can still walk though he frequently uses a wheelchair to get around. Another source said that Kemper recently met with a journalist numerous times, in person and over the phone, insinuating that there should be a new book or documentary coming in the near future. Disappointingly, no title or release date was given; but he has been featured in several newer works. As well, since being incarcerated Kemper has recorded thousands of hours of audiobook narration and assisted the FBI in the development of their Behavioural Science Unit, though most recently he’s said to have accosted a female staffer while transferring into his wheelchair. This of course only worked against him at his parole hearing earlier this month, where he was denied (for the twelfth time). His is not my most familiar case, but not for lack of intrigue. I’ve watched some interviews and read a few articles, but I’ve not yet dove into the depths of his mind.
  Now, at seventy-four years old, Ed Kemper is said to be just as paraphilic as ever. One unverified source mentioned him recalling sexual acts with his mother’s severed head to a staff member; the staff at his current facility are not in the habit of engaging in his more insidious fantasies and recollections. Valid. However, because my curiosities are never quite satisfied by the prosecutorial perspective. So, I’ve decided to reach out to Edmund himself. I’ve only just sent the letter, so I’ve not yet much to report. However, I’ve heard that he’s loquacious so unless he is no longer interested or able to respond, I suppose all there is to do now is patiently await his reply.
   I’ve mentioned that I will be writing incarcerated individuals (primarily of the serial killer variety) to a few acquaintances, and there seems to be a common, poorly masked abhorrence of the endeavour. In the interest of transparency, my desire to write violent offenders is not some convoluted infatuation that needs explored in therapy—though I’ve done that, too. What I’ve discovered is that what started as a simple morbid curiosity has evolved into an in-depth exploration of the darker crevices of the human psyche and experience. There’s a strange comfort in that darkness. Something that settles in a sort of reckoning with the fragility of life. Some say that you can’t truly appreciate the good that life has to offer until you’ve been touched by death. I know that my own encounters with death have taught me more about myself and about life than any therapy session or failure ever has. In some ways, I’ve dedicated my life to developing a relationship with death. One that even I don’t completely understand, and still, something sucks me in like gravity. In some strange and possibly disturbing way, it helps me feel grounded. I’ve experienced suicidality and the loss of friends and loved ones, I’ve extinguished the life of another being, and I have worked in hospice. I’ve engaged with legitimate psychopaths and murderers, most of whom I was entirely unaware were holding immense secrets and dark fantasies. At least this way, the interaction is at face value; their records are public record…like their location and inmate number.
  So, I’ll continue to find and write inmates incarcerated for violent crimes, and I will hopefully get some responses that permit conversation of substance. Dennis Rader, better known as BTK, and The Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway, are also on my list; along with lesser known dangers to society.

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Thanks for reading! I'm eager to hear your thoughts and questions. Do you have any experiences with pen pal correspondence? Any suggests for topics to discuss with my prospective pen pals? I'm all ears! Leave your comments below, and don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter!