3 Reasons Serial Killers Write to Each Other

Source: Art by K. Ramsland

In December, we learned that the "Happy Face Killer," Keith Jesperson, who'd murdered eight women during the 1990s, sent letters from his Oregon prison cell to accused "Gilgo Beach 4 Killer" Rex Heuermann. Then he told a podcaster that Heuermann had responded—in fact, he had said it was the only letters he'd answered.

Jesperson had urged him to confess and get it over with rather than go to trial. The prison was better in some respects than jail, and the press coverage would be less intense. In addition, prosecutors wouldn't gloat, and he wouldn't have to endure being shifted around.

Heuermann was reportedly grateful:

“Thank you for your letters and advice. They have been a help and a comfort to me. I do understand what you have said, and I have taken it to heart.”

Yet, he ignored the advice. To date, he's confessed to nothing.

Why Jesperson needed to alert a podcaster that he'd undertaken this correspondence reveals the first reason for such an exchange: Jesperson wants attention. It's been a while since he's had some notoriety. He explained he likes mentoring newly accused killers, but if that were his reason, he wouldn't need to inform the media.

He could have said nothing. Who cares if he's sending notes to other killers? But he picked one for which he knew there would be significant media buzz.

So, reason 1: Attention from the media

Reason 2: Affinity

Healthcare serial killer Donald Harvey, convicted of murdering 37 patients and confessing to many more, told his attorney he believed that fellow healthcare serial killer Charles Cullen, who admitted to 29 murders and six attempts, had corresponded with him during his killing spree. No one proved it with the letters, but Harvey implies that Cullen was seeking affirmation for his actions.

Both had initially claimed to have killed out of mercy. Both were lying about that. Both targeted vulnerable patients and manipulated hospital systems.

Dana Sue Gray, the killer of three women in 1994 in California, wrote to "BTK Killer" Dennis Rader sometime after his arrest and conviction in 2005 for 10 murders. He said he was one of several she wrote to. The correspondence didn't amount to much, but she seemed to seek camaraderie, even a relationship. Whether she found what she wanted from someone else, Rader doesn't know.

Reason 3: Inspiration or encouragement

Liam McAtear, 16, wrote to convicted "Moors Murderer" Ian Brady to express admiration for his murders of children. He then decided to become like Brady when he bludgeoned another boy with a claw hammer 12 times. The victim survived, and McAteer was caught before he could fulfill his ambition. One note found in his room read (edited):

“I am planning a murder, and it is very interesting and makes me feel good. The person I am going to kill is a low-life, a good-for-nothing, so what do people care what becomes of him? I certainly do not, and I will go to any lengths to end his life.”

The most psychologically interesting of these reasons is No. 2: Some killers seem to view themselves as members of an exclusive club. They want affirmation. Some even look for a relationship, as if no one else could quite understand them or meet their needs. They think the act of taking another person's life, especially if there's no remorse, sets them apart. No one else can truly appreciate their experience. Their hope for companionship, then, limits them to a small pool.

Reason No. 3 can assist with risk evaluation. Aspiring killers who reach out to and express their fascination with a notorious killer might signal (as McAtear and others have done) their desire to build up the courage to act out. Whether they say it in a correspondence or a journal, those who make killers their role models offer a clear opportunity for intervention.