His lust for women's shoes started around age five when he was (for some odd reason) at a nearby dump and stumbled across a pair of women's high-heels. He brought them home where his mother immediately took them and burned them. By the time he was in the first grade, he was stealing shoes from his mother and sister.
At age 16, he was now living in Oregon, he branched off into burglary; making off with shoes from his neighbor's homes. Sometimes he would make sure to grab bras and panties to add to his growing wardrobe. Upon his reaching adolescene these shoes particularly aroused him. In 1965 at the age of 17, Brudos was sent to juvenile court for beating up a girl for not going on a date with him. He was also ordered to visit the state hospital in Salem as an outpatient, while continuing his high-school education. It became apparent that he learned and gained nothing from his therapy. Also while he was seventeen he was sent to a mental hospital for forcing a young girl by knife point to strip naked and pose as he took pictures. At the hospital he was diagnosed as having a early personality disorder.
He eventually joined the army in March 1959, but he was deeply troubled by the dreams he was having of a beautiful Korean women creeping into his bed at night. A nice little chat with the army psychiatrist led to Brudos' discharge on October 5, 1959. He then proceeded to his parents home in Salem moving into thier tool shed.
Once back home Brudos began attacking women in the street and taking thier shoes. These attacks quickly stopped when he met his future wife.
Although still a virgin he quickly got her pregnat and then feeling abliged he married Darcie in 1962. Brudos seemed content with the married life until Darcie went into the hospital with thier second child. Jerry followed a girl who was wearing preety shoes. He followed her to her house. Once there he forced himself inside and proceeded to rape and strangle her. He then stole her shoes.
By 1967 Brudos was complaining of migranes and blackouts. To relieve his symptoms he often went out at night and stole women's shoes and underwear. On one occasion a woman awoke to Brudos ransacking her closet. Brudos then proceeded to choke her until she was unconscious and then raped her and fled into the night.
Brudos' first murder was that of Linda Slawson on January 26, 1968. On this fateful day Linda, 19, was selling encyclopedias door to door when she came up TO Brudos. Brudos took her to the garage, where he beat her up then strangled her. Once she was dead Brudos sent the family out to get hamburgers so he could play with her body. He dressed her up like a doll in the clothes he had been collecting over the years. He then cut off her left foot and put it in the freezer. Her body was dumped in the Willamentie River. Linda had become the first know victim of five.
The next victim was 16-year-old Stephanie Vikko. She dissappeared from Portland in July. Then Brudos found his third victim, Jan Whitney, a 23-year-old student.She dissapeared November 26. Brudos meanwhile had taken her home and hung her in his garage.
A few days later Brudos went away on Thanksgiving weekend with his family and returned to find a big hole in the side of his garage. Luckily for Brudos the policeman that had investigated the crash had not looked around very well. Because if he had he would have seen Jan's body hanging from the cieling. He then got rid of her in the Willamentie River, but not before cutting off her breasts.
He waited six months before striking again. March 27, 1969 19-year-old Karen Sprinkler was in a department store parking lot when she was last seen. But Brudos was actually the last to see her alive because he was the one who took her to his house, and since his wife was away he was able to"play." He raped her corpse repeadelty before slicing off both her breasts and then dumped her body in the Long Tom River.
Brudos struck for the last time on April 23, 1969. Linda Salee, 23, was approched by Brudos and told her she was being arrested for shoplifting. Brudos held out a fake id badge and she believed him. He took her back to her house in the garage where he strangled and raped her at the same time; in fact she died while he was raping her. Brudos decided to punish her by sticking two hypodermic needles into her ribs and tried to give her electric shocks. Brudos later said he meant to make her corpse dance but in the end he realized it only made her corpse smell. Brudos kept the body for a day and continued to violate the corpse, but didn't cut off her breasts because she had pink nipples. "nipples should be brown," Brudos said later. Instead of cutting them off he made plastic molds of them. The next night he dumped her body in the Long Tom River.
While the police were searching for thier suspect Brudos faced a minor crisis in his own backyard. While cleaning house his wife had turned up pictures of him dressed in drag and a plastic boob- which Brudo said was a paperwieght. She missed the other pictures tough - the ones with Brudos in drag with his victims.
On May 30, 1969 Brudos attempted to flee with his family, but was arrested. Brudos admitted to the murders to the police. He was found guilty of four murders and sentenced to life in prison.
"When you salt a breast and dry it, it shrinks to abouta third of it's normal size. I'm sure there is a way to do it so it will work, but I never could." Brudos told the police while being interrogated. Perhaps Brudos should have spoken To Gein.
~Kaylah