Robert Berdella Nickname: The Kansas City Butcher Quote: Officers questioned neighbors about suspicious events, says Harold Schechter in The Serial Killer Files, and they received the answers typical of those who have seen no evidence of a depraved mind. Neighbors thought of Bob Berdella as a friendly, quiet man who had assisted in programs like "Crime Watch." He had told people that he invited troubled young men to his home to help them when they had nowhere else to go. By: Megan Majeski

Background  Born January 31, 1949 in Ohio  Died October 8, 1992 in Missouri at the Potosi Correctional Center  Raised as catholic, stopped attending church services when a teenager  Good student although he got bullied and was hard to teach  At age 16, dad died of a heart attack and mom got remarried  Sexually assaulted by a coworker at work  At age 18, became chef at an art institute an engaged in animal torture  Began a criminal career abusing alcohol and selling drugs  At age 32, quit job as chef and opened his own store  Bob’s Bazaar Bizarre  Started to tell people he was gay and hung out with male prostitutes

Crimes NameAgeDisappearance 1. Jerry Howell20July 5, 1984Drugged and raped, eventually died 2. Robert Sheldon18April 19, 1985Drugged, took to have injuries treated, returned home, repair man came, suffocated him so couldn’t be heard 3. Mark Wallace20June 22, 1985Drugged and hours of torture, died 4. James Ferris25September 26, 1985Took him captive, weeks of torture, killed 5. Todd Stoops21June 17, 1986Weeks of torture, killed 6. Larry Pearson20July 9, 1987Weeks of torture, killed  Engaged in animal torture as a teenager  At age 19, arrested for possession of LSD and marijuana  At age 35, began keeping people in his basement

Most Recent Crime/Evidence/Sentence  7 th person escaped while Berdella was at work one day  Went to neighbors  It was the closest place to Berdella’s house  Wanted to get there fast  Police arrested Berdella  Founds body parts in his yard  Life in prison

Cultural References  Books  Rites of Burial  Mortal Evidence  Documentary  Berdella  Bazaar Bizarre  Songs  Chicago Death metal band  “Diary of Torture”  Gives details about his killings  Movies and TV Shows: None When you wake in pain at 8am To my metal bed you are tied You struggle so I take my index finger And jab it several times into your eye A cotton tip swab dipped in drain cleaner Pokes your eyes again and again I climb on your chest with an iron bar And repeatedly batter your hands Robert Berdella Would torture young fellows Until they were skin and bones And when they were dead The garbage man Would take them away from his home

Social Control Theory  I think Berdella relates to the social control theory. The social control theory is when a person has strong bonds with their family. All of a sudden those bonds weaken or break and deviance occurs.  For example, when Berdella was younger he was closely connected with his family. He did well in school and went to church services. As he grew up his family started to drift apart. This was due to his dad dying and his mom getting remarried. Berdella was also sexually assaulted which made his life go in the wrong direction. He started to be apart of animal torture and later became a serial killer. He ended up in prison for the rest of his life and eventually died of a heart attack.