Jul 20, 2026 · 51 min · 20 segments
In a special collaboration episode, Andrea Gunning joins Vanessa Richardson and Dr. Engels on Serial Killers & Murderous Minds to break down the crimes of Ed Kemper, who murdered at least six young…
Andrea GunningHost
In 1970s California, Ed murdered at least six young female hitchhikers until finally turning his rage on the person who tormented him most, his own mother.
And as Vanessa goes through the story, Dr. Engels will be talking about things like why a childhood defined by ridicule can manifest in violence, how incarceration in early adulthood can impact development, why some killers use complex postmortem rituals to prolong the thrill, and as always, they'll be asking the question, what makes a killer?
Violence was ingrained in Ed Kemper from the moment he came into the world.
His father, Edmund Kemper II, was a World War II Special Forces combat veteran who went on to work as an electrician.
His mother, Clarnell, stayed home to care for Ed and his two sisters, Alin and Susan.
He reveled in his war stories, including the ones about how he killed enemy soldiers.
She desperately longed for a better life, and she used alcohol to cope with the fact that she didn't have it.
Clarnell's drinking fueled her and Edmund's fights, and his behavior wasn't much better.
Children learn how to communicate, express their emotions, and treat others through what's modeled to them from their caregivers.
And Ed is growing up in an extremely volatile environment, so he's not getting the best model of this.
And the conflict in his home is not just between his parents or interparental, it's being displaced onto him as well.
In 1970s California, Ed murdered at least six young female hitchhikers until finally turning his rage on the person who tormented him most, his own mother.
And as Vanessa goes through the story, Dr. Engels will be talking about things like why a childhood defined by ridicule can manifest in violence, how incarceration in early adulthood can impact development, why some killers use complex postmortem rituals to prolong the thrill, and as always, they'll be asking the question, what makes a killer?
Violence was ingrained in Ed Kemper from the moment he came into the world.
His father, Edmund Kemper II, was a World War II Special Forces combat veteran who went on to work as an electrician.
His mother, Clarnell, stayed home to care for Ed and his two sisters, Alin and Susan.
He reveled in his war stories, including the ones about how he killed enemy soldiers.
She desperately longed for a better life, and she used alcohol to cope with the fact that she didn't have it.
Clarnell's drinking fueled her and Edmund's fights, and his behavior wasn't much better.
Children learn how to communicate, express their emotions, and treat others through what's modeled to them from their caregivers.
And Ed is growing up in an extremely volatile environment, so he's not getting the best model of this.
And the conflict in his home is not just between his parents or interparental, it's being displaced onto him as well.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.