Prior to reading this, I wasn't aware that a person could be too tall to be a police officer. Kemper was 6 foot, nine inches, which the book says eliminated him from being a policeman, which was his dream. Kemper had fantasies about death, sex, and violent acts against women.

Animal-killing is a dead giveaway for psychological problems. However, no one recognized it for what it was in Edmund's case. His mother wasn't insightful and just punished Edmund more. Reading about her behavior towards her only son, it is obvious that she was disturbed as well. After murdering his grandparents at age 15, he was sent to a psychiatric hospital. With his 145 IQ and passive personality, he was able to convince the doctors that he was improving. Instead, he was learning how to get away with murder.

Incredibly, there were two serial killers active in the Santa Cruz area in 1973. When Edmund met the other serial killer, he was unimpressed. According to this book, as of 2017, Kemper has refused parole many times. He knows he needs the structure and the help he receives in the mental facility where he resides.

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