The “Co-Ed Killer” Police mug shots of Edmund Kemper after his arrest in 1973. (more) Edmund Kemper American serial killer Also known as: Co-Ed Killer, Ed Kemper, Edmund Emil Kemper III(Show More) Written by Nick Tabor Nick Tabor is a freelance journalist and the author of Africatown: America's Last Slave Ship and the Community It Created. Nick Tabor Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated June 5, 2026 •History Edmund Kemper (born December 18, 1948, Burbank, California, U.S.) is an American serial killer who, between 1964 and 1973, murdered 10 people in California, including his mother, his paternal grandparents, and several female hitchhikers. Kemper, who was called the “Co-Ed Killer,” often decapitated and dismembered his victims’ bodies and engaged in necrophilia. He was arrested in 1973 after turning himself in, and later that year he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Kemper...

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