Robert Berdella
Encyclopedia
Robert Andrew "Bob" Berdella (January 31, 1949 – October 8, 1992) was an American serial killer
in Kansas City, Missouri
who rape
d, torture
d and killed at least six men between 1984 and 1987.
from 1967 to 1969. During this time he was convicted but received a suspended sentence for selling amphetamine
s. He was later arrested for possession of LSD
and marijuana, but the charges were dropped for lack of evidence. In 1969 he bought the house at 4315 Charlotte, which would be the scene of the crimes. He worked as a chef and eventually opened Bob’s Bizarre Bazaar, a novelty shop that catered to occult
-type tastes.
.
for a week jumped naked from the second story of his house and escaped, wearing only a dog collar. By that time, he had abducted and tortured at least six young men, and the Kansas City Police Department suspected him in two other disappearances. Berdella had detailed torture logs and large numbers of Polaroid
pictures he had taken of his victims. Volumes of pictures were recovered by the Kansas City Police Department, and remain in their possession. He claimed that he was trying to "help" some of his victims by giving them antibiotics after torturing them. He tried to gouge one of his victim's eyes out "to see what would happen". He buried one victim's skull in his backyard, and put the dismembered bodies out for the weekly trash pickup. The bodies were never recovered but left in the landfill.
A few months before the arrest was made, Berdella was offered a ride home from a bar by people who noticed he was too intoxicated to drive. On the way back, Berdella allegedly told stories about young men he'd had abducted and tortured in the previous months. It was not taken seriously at that time considering his advanced state of intoxication.
He claimed that the film version of John Fowles
' The Collector
, in which the protagonist
kidnaps and imprisons a young woman, had been his inspiration when he was a teenager.
in 1992 after writing letters to a minister claiming the prison officials were not giving him his heart medication.
, based on his crimes in September 2009.
Chicago
death metal
band Macabre
's song "Diary of Torture" on their album Murder Metal
is about Robert Berdella, and gives details of his abductions and killings.
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
who rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d, torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d and killed at least six men between 1984 and 1987.
Early life
Berdella was enrolled in the Kansas City Art InstituteKansas City Art Institute
The Kansas City Art Institute is a private, independent, four-year college of fine arts and design founded in 1885 in Kansas City, Missouri....
from 1967 to 1969. During this time he was convicted but received a suspended sentence for selling amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...
s. He was later arrested for possession of LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
and marijuana, but the charges were dropped for lack of evidence. In 1969 he bought the house at 4315 Charlotte, which would be the scene of the crimes. He worked as a chef and eventually opened Bob’s Bizarre Bazaar, a novelty shop that catered to occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
-type tastes.
.
Crimes
Berdella was apprehended on April 2, 1988, after a victim he had been torturingTorture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
for a week jumped naked from the second story of his house and escaped, wearing only a dog collar. By that time, he had abducted and tortured at least six young men, and the Kansas City Police Department suspected him in two other disappearances. Berdella had detailed torture logs and large numbers of Polaroid
Instant film
Instant film is a type of photographic film first introduced by Polaroid that is designed to be used in an instant camera...
pictures he had taken of his victims. Volumes of pictures were recovered by the Kansas City Police Department, and remain in their possession. He claimed that he was trying to "help" some of his victims by giving them antibiotics after torturing them. He tried to gouge one of his victim's eyes out "to see what would happen". He buried one victim's skull in his backyard, and put the dismembered bodies out for the weekly trash pickup. The bodies were never recovered but left in the landfill.
A few months before the arrest was made, Berdella was offered a ride home from a bar by people who noticed he was too intoxicated to drive. On the way back, Berdella allegedly told stories about young men he'd had abducted and tortured in the previous months. It was not taken seriously at that time considering his advanced state of intoxication.
He claimed that the film version of John Fowles
John Fowles
John Robert Fowles was an English novelist and essayist. In 2008, The Times newspaper named Fowles among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Birth and family:...
' The Collector
The Collector
The Collector is the title of a 1963 novel by John Fowles. It was made into a movie in 1965.- Plot summary :The novel is about a lonely young man, Frederick Clegg, who works as a clerk in a city hall, and collects butterflies in his spare time...
, in which the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
kidnaps and imprisons a young woman, had been his inspiration when he was a teenager.
Victims
| Name | Age | Date of disappearance |
|---|---|---|
| Jerry Howell | 20 | July 5, 1984 |
| Robert Sheldon | 18 | April 19, 1985 |
| Mark Wallace | 20 | June 22, 1985 |
| James Ferris | 20 | September 26, 1985 |
| Todd Stoops | 21 | June 17, 1986 |
| Larry Pearson | 20 | July 9, 1987 |
Death
Berdella died of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1992 after writing letters to a minister claiming the prison officials were not giving him his heart medication.
Film
The Northeast Film Group released a feature film, BerdellaBerdella (film)
Berdella is a 2009 horror film directed by Paul South and Bill Taft and stars Seth Correa, Steve Williams, Marc Saleme and Vito Spino. It is based on the true story of Kansas City serial killer Bob Berdella.-Plot:...
, based on his crimes in September 2009.
Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band Macabre
Macabre (band)
Macabre is an extreme metal band from Illinois. They were formed in 1985 in Chicago, Illinois, and have never had a line-up change. They blend thrash metal, death metal, and grindcore to form their own unique style dubbed murder metal...
's song "Diary of Torture" on their album Murder Metal
Murder Metal
-Track listing:# "Acid Bath Vampire" – 3:46 - John George Haigh# "You're Dying to Be with Me" – 2:43 - Dennis Nilsen# "Fatal Foot Fetish" – 2:08 - Jerry Brudos# "The Hillside Stranglers" – 1:38 - Angelo Buono, Jr...
is about Robert Berdella, and gives details of his abductions and killings.