The Last Victim_ A True-Life Journey Into the Mind of the Serial Killer - Jason Moss [105]
The same was true with the others as well. Jason believed he could outwit, out-think, and outmaneuver any of the killers.Perhaps so, provided the competition was locked in cages. One can appreciate, though, that once these guys are on the outside (and there are hundreds of them currently on the loose), targeted victims have little chance to escape their clutches.
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Ultimately, Jason’s adventure leaves us with a number of insights. For example, Jason discovered a whole world of deception operating within the network of Death Rows across the nation. Several of the killers confessed to massive fabrications during their debriefings by police and psychologists. In these sessions, they admitted to crimes they never committed. They used information they’d gained from other inmates to muddle investigations in progress and they learned to fudge their responses on supposedly sophisticated psychological instruments. Authorities forget that just as they themselves share data and consult with one another, so too do various killers.
Jason’s account also warns of the extent to which some incarcerated serial killers are still quite active orchestrating mayhem and murder. Each enjoys a devout cult following. Take, for example, Charles Manson, a killer who commands dozens of Web pages and was not the least disappointed his parole was recently denied, since he is so busy anyway with computer communications. Manson, of course, is notorious for his ability to get people on the outside to do his bidding, even to attempt assassination of the president. Others, like Richard Ramirez, have whole networks devoted to furthering their Satanic goals. Since the events described in this story were completed, Ramirez continues to press Jason to serve as a lieutenant in his organization.
It is disturbing to discover as well how many famous killers are kings of their prison domain, sitting at the head of a royal court of petitioners, each begging for their time. The coin of the realm is souvenirs. The killers sell their childlike artwork for hundreds of dollars, garnering even more for signed letters. If all you want is access, you still have to pay a fee—pornographic magazine subscriptions, contributions to defense funds, perhaps a little favor or two.
As long as incarcerated killers receive notoriety for their predatory acts, they’ll continue to draw lost souls into their kingdoms. For as has been pointed out, people want to get close to things they fear. Fans send “serial killer superstars” not only money but adulation. Women send naked pictures and offers of matrimony. Journalists wait in line for the privilege of conducting an interview. Book and film accounts of killers’ lives attract huge audiences. Just like Jason, people want to reach into the darkness without fully understanding the consequences.
In the end, The Last Victim is not only the tale of a young man who wandered down a dangerous path and then regained his bearings, it is a parable of what happens in a culture that glorifies violence, denies its fascination, and then makes celebrities out of killers. The message society has come increasingly to accept is that fame is value-neutral. “There can be no bad fame” is the mantra of the airwaves, which is a chilling thought indeed.