Edmund Kemper - Cognitive Theories

Edmund Kemper

Kemper had a difficult relationship with his mother, who was an alcoholic, due to her critical opinion of him as well as blaming him for all her problems. At the age of 10 he was forced to live in the basement because his mother was afraid he would harm his sisters. This conclusion was due to signs of aggressive and dark thoughts in relation to criminal behaviour. For example, he cut off the heads of his sisters' dolls and encouraged his sisters to participate in a game called 'gas chamber.' He also killed two family cats and other small animals by age 15.

On August 27, 1964, Kemper shot his grandmother after an argument and when his grandfather returned home, he shot him too and hid his body. He told the police that he shot his grandmother "to see what it felt like" and shot his grandfather so he didn't have to find out his wife had died.

Kemper was sent to the California Youth Authority where he underwent a number of tests. It was determined that he had a very high IQ but also suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. Due to this conclusion, he was sent to Atascadero State Hospital, a maximum security facility for mentally ill convicts.

In 1969, Kemper was released at aged 21. After a number of years and unsuccessful pursuits of employment, he was involved in a motorcycle accident that resulted in an inability to work due to injury so with all his free time, he began storing tools he thought might be useful in fulfilling murderous desires.

The first murder after his accident occurred when he offered a lift to two students, Mary Ann Pesce and Anita Luchessa. However, they never arrived at their destination. It was later discovered that both girls had been murdered upon the discovery of Pesce's head near Santa Cruz. The head and hands of both girls were removed in his apartment while he engaged in sexual activity with their corpses. He committed four additional murders until April 1973 where he committed his last two murders. The first victim was his mother who he struck with a hammer and cut her throat while she slept. He then decapitated her, cut off her hands and put her larynx down the garbage disposal. He then invited her friend over, Sally Hallett, after hiding his mother's body parts. He strangled Hallett and hid her body in the closet. He later confessed to the Santa Cruz police on April 23 after fleeing to Colorado.

Kemper was charged with eight counts of first degree murder when he went on trial in October 1973. He was found guilty of all the charges in early November. When asked what his punishment should be, he requested that he be tortured to death. Instead he received eight concurrent life sentences. At present, Kemper is serving his time in California Medical Facility in Vacaville.

Cognitive Theories
Distinctive Thinking Patterns - Yochelson & Samenow (1976). They believed that criminal behaviour is characterised by 40 cognitive errors concluding that criminals think different to non-criminals and that these thinking patterns  lead them to criminal behaviour.
1. Criminal thinking patterns - characterised by need for power and control, lying, feelings of worthlessness etc.
2. Automatic thinking errors - include a lack of empathy and trust, perception of themselves as victims, poor decision-making etc.
3. Crime related thinking errors - include fantasising about criminal acts, no regard to deterrent factors and super-optimism etc.

Rational Choice Theory - Cornish & Clarke (1987). They believe that crime is purposive behaviour designed to meet the criminals needs, for example, raping for sexual gratification.
1. Individualism - offender sees themselves as an individual thus responsible for their own welfare.
2. Goal orientated - offender wants to maximise what they have.
3. Self-interested - offender puts themselves and their needs first.

Application of Cognitive Theories
Due to the abuse that he suffered from his mother, we can say that he had feelings of worthlessness especially from being locked in the basement and isolated from the rest of society. Additionally, his mother blamed him for all of her problems which could have lead him to perceive himself as a victim. However, his mothers actions were due to his dark fantasies in relation to criminal acts which is 'crime related thinking error' suggesting that at a young age he had cognitive errors.

After his childhood, he may have perceived himself as a 'victim of the world' but this changes when he kills his grandparents to finally put his needs first. This self-interested behaviour resulted in his
lack of regard for deterrent factors.

He displays 'criminal thinking patterns' where he offers Pesce and Luchessa a lift but ends up killing them. By being the driver he has control over the situation and also he is lying to them by saying he will take them to their destination. He exhibits self-interested behaviour when he engages in sexual activity with their corpses as he is obtaining sexual gratification. If Kemper was a virgin during this time, he would have displayed 'goal-orientated behaviour' by having sex with the corpses as he is maximising what he has.

Kemper killed his mother while she slept which could show some remorse as she cannot beg for her life. However, it could also suggest that he has a need for power and control which is a 'criminal thinking pattern.' This is emphasised when he strangles his mothers friend, Hallett, as he was literally squeezing the life out of someone.

After his crimes, Kemper calls the police to turn himself in showing that he has no regard for deterrent factors showing 'crime related thinking errors.'

In conclusion, Kemper displays all of the cognitive thinking errors suggested by Yochelson & Samenow (1976) and Cornish & Clarke (1987). This suggests that he does have a different thinking process to normal individuals leading to his criminal behaviour.