The Last Victim_ A True-Life Journey Into the Mind of the Serial Killer - Jason Moss [2]
I was shocked, therefore, when I walked into the room— make that the auditorium —and found seventy or eighty people. Somehow, word had gotten out that something unusual was going to happen. I had no idea that the next few hours would hold me spellbound, propelling me through emotions that ranged from indignation to admiration.
Jason stood before the audience in his new suit, anxiously pacing as he waited for the signal to begin. I could hear the crowd buzzing with anticipation, although I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. “Can you believe it!” “Jason . . . gotta be a little . . . I sure wouldn’t . . .” “So I was—” “Shsssh! He’s starting!”
“In this presentation,” Jason began nervously, “I will be talking about accessing the minds of various serial killers from the perspective of their victims.” You could hear a collective gasp from the audience. Then complete silence, as if we were all holding our breath to see what would come next.
“Although much is known about the patterns of their behavior,” Jason continued, “even the nature of their childhoods, their motives and fantasies, we really know very little about how they manage to overpower people, manipulate and degrade them, get them to do things they wouldn’t otherwise consider.”
He then went on to relate how, while only a freshman in college, he’d figured out a way to lure a half dozen of the most notorious serial killers into communication with him, eventually forging full-blown relationships with several. In each case, he researched meticulously what would interest them the most and then cast himself in the role of disciple, admirer, businessman, surrogate, or potential victim. In a few instances, he actually interviewed the killers in prison, winning their trust and uncovering their secrets. Perhaps even more remarkable, in one case he was able to experience, firsthand, what it’s like to be stalked, seduced, manipulated, and eventually trapped by a deranged murderer who’d killed more than thirty times previously.
If Jason’s overview wasn’t chilling enough, it was downright eerie to hear recordings of the killers’ voices and see samples of their perverted writing.
As I watched and listened to what Jason had done, I was flooded with questions. While everyone else in the room seemed captivated by the tales of perversion and mayhem committed by killers Jason had contacted, I was curious about what would motivate an eighteen-year-old to undertake a project like this, one that would not only jeopardize his sanity but his physical safety. Little did I realize at the time that I’d be the one entrusted with the task of helping Jason tell his story.
When I met with him a few days later he wanted to know if I’d be interested in collaborating with him on a book analyzing the motives and behavior of his most ardent correspondent, John Wayne Gacy. In Illinois during the 1970s, Gacy kidnapped, tortured, raped, and killed at least thirty-three young boys and buried many of them in his basement.
“Jason,” I addressed him solemnly, “I’m really flattered that you’d ask for my help with this.”
He looked away from me, preparing himself for what he anticipated would be rejection.
“I really am intrigued with what you’ve done,” I reassured him. “It’s just . . .”
“I really am intrigued with what you’ve done,” I reassured him. “It’s just . . .”
“You don’t understand,” he interrupted. “Nobody really understands. . . .”
I put my hand on his shoulder to stop what I could see was the beginning of an argument. It’s not a good idea to get Jason started unless you’re prepared for a very long discussion, and I had other students waiting.
“You misunderstand me,” I told him. “Please, just listen. Let me finish.”
He nodded his head, but I could see his impatience. By now he’d grown used to people not “getting” his peculiar area of fascination.