Ed Kemper Parole Hearing Update: 'The Co-Ed Killer' is 'Still Dangerous'

Serial killer Edmund Kemper, also known as the "Co-Ed Killer," was denied parole for seven years during a hearing in California on Tuesday.

Kemper was convicted of murdering eight people in 1972 and 1973. He received eight concurrent life sentences.

Kemper did not attend the parole hearing. His attorney, Nicholas Ageo, unsuccessfully tried to get the hearing postponed since he had only met with his client once, Lookout Santa Cruz reported.

Santa Cruz district attorney Jeff Rosell said Kemper has not changed during his time in prison.

"Ed Kemper is still dangerous. He remains a high risk," Rosell said.

Kemper received a psychiatric evaluation in April, where it was deemed he was at "high risk" to reoffend.

One incident the board cited in its denial was when Kemper grabbed a prison worker's behind in 2022 while being moved to his wheelchair.

Kemper first became eligible for parole in 1979, but he was denied. He was also denied in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1988, 1991, 1994, 2007 and 2017. He waived his right to a hearing in 1985, 1997, 2002 and 2012.

Who is Ed Kemper?

Kemper was known as the Co-Ed Killer because many of his victims were female college students in the Santa Cruz County area.

He was also accused of fatally shooting his grandparents when he was 15 years old. The crimes were viewed as "incomprehensible for a 15-year-old to commit." Court psychiatrists diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia and he was sent to a maximum-security facility for mentally ill convicts. He was released on his 21st birthday in 1969.

During an 11-month murder spree from May 1972 to April 1973, Kemper killed five college students, one high school student, his mother and his mother's best friend. He typically took victims to isolated locations, then shot, stabbed, smothered or strangled them.

Many of his murders also included necrophilia, decapitation and dismemberment.

Kemper turned himself in after killing his mother and her friend, later stating in an interview that "the original purpose was gone" so he said "to hell with it and called it all off."

He was charged with eight counts of first-degree murder in May of 1973. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but three court-appointed psychiatrists found him to be sane. The jury ruled that Kemper was sane and guilty on all counts.

Where is Ed Kemper Now?

He took on several responsibilities while in prison, including scheduling appointments for other inmates, making ceramic cups and narrated audiobooks for the visually impaired. He retired from his positions in 2015 after suffering a stroke.

Kemper received his first rules violation in 2016 for not providing a urine sample.

During his 2007 parole hearing, prosecutor Ariadne Symons said, "We don't care how much of a model prisoner he is because of the enormity of his crimes."

At that same hearing, attorney Scott Currey said his client was fine with staying in jail.

"His feeling is that he — and this is his belief — no one's ever going to let him out and he's just happy, he's just as happy going about his life in prison," Currey said.

Kemper, now 75, is imprisoned at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville.

Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com