Edmund Kemper - First Murders

First Murders

On August 27, 1964, Kemper's grandmother was sitting at the kitchen table working on her latest children's book when she and Kemper began arguing. Eventually Kemper shot her in the head. (Some sources claim that he also stabbed her with a kitchen knife after shooting her.) When his grandfather came home from grocery shopping, Kemper went outside and fatally shot him in the driveway. Kemper then called his mother, who urged him to call the police. When questioned, he said that he "just wanted to see what it felt like to kill Grandma," and that he killed his grandfather because he knew he would be angry at him for what he had done to his grandmother.

At age 15, Kemper was committed to the Atascadero State Hospital, where he befriended his psychologist and even became his assistant. Tests during his time at Atascadero revealed that he had an I.Q. of 136. Later, during adulthood, he tested at 145. Kemper was released from prison in 1969, after serving fewer than five years. At the time of his release, he had grown to 6 ft 9 inches (2.06 m) and weighed close to 280 pounds (130 kg). Against the wishes of several doctors at the hospital, he was released into his mother's care. Kemper later demonstrated further to the psychologists that he was well — and his juvenile records were expunged.

He worked a series of menial jobs before securing work with the State of California's Department of Public Works/Division of Highways in District 4 (now known as Department of Transportation or Caltrans). By that time, he weighed about 300 pounds (140 kg).