Date & Time: Wednesday, September 17th at 5:00 PM
Topic: Control, Ego, and Confession — Dennis Rader (BTK) vs. Edmund Kemper (“Co-Ed Killer”)
Two chilling studies in self-mythology and power. This session contrasts a suburban family man who craved notoriety with an unnervingly self-aware killer who analyzed his own crimes.
Who we’re discussing
• BTK (Dennis Rader) — “Bind, Torture, K*ll.” A compliance officer and church leader who taunted police and the press while living an outwardly ordinary life.
• Edmund Kemper (“Co-Ed Killer”) — Highly intelligent, articulate murderer who killed young women—and ultimately his mother—then turned himself in and gave strikingly candid interviews.
What we’ll cover
• Power & control: ritual, restraint, and the psychology of domination.
• Double lives: public respectability vs. private depravity.
• Communication & capture: letters, forensic breakthroughs, and the missteps that ended each reign.
• Media & myth: how interviews, headlines, and pop culture shaped public perception.
• Victimology & impact: patterns, escalation, and community trauma.
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