Ed Kemper: Inside the Mind of a Psychopath with Dr. Kent Kiehl

What made Ed Kemper capable of becoming one of America’s most notorious serial killers?

In this episode of UNMARKED, I retrace the life and crimes of Edmund Kemper—the so-called “Co-Ed Killer”—with renowned neuroscientist Dr. Kent Kiehl, sometimes called “The Psychopath Whisperer.”

Dr. Kiehl has spent decades studying psychopathy, interviewing hundreds of offenders and using brain imaging to investigate what happens inside the minds of people with extreme psychopathic traits. His connection to the Kemper story goes back to his earliest days studying forensic psychiatry, when he encountered Kemper at California’s Vacaville correctional facility.

Together, we examine Kemper’s neurological vulnerability, his volatile relationship with his mother, the violent fantasy world he develops as a child, the murder of his grandparents at fifteen, his release from psychiatric custody, and the circumstances that eventually give him access to a vulnerable population of young women hitchhiking through Northern California.

Featuring Dr. Kent Kiehl and Christine Falco of Ed Kemper Stories.

Research in This Episode: 

Stein, Michelle L., Louis B. Schlesinger, and Anthony J. Pinizzotto. “Necrophilia and Sexual Homicide.” Journal of Forensic Sciences 55, no. 2 (2010): 443–446. 

Cherry, Kendra. “What Are Freud’s Stages of Human Development?” Verywell Mind. Updated July 5, 2026. Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD.

Show Notes:

If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself. 

Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7

If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/

For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.

Join here:
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UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.