Lust Killer

by Ann Rule

  Close to the bottom are the penny-ante crooks. But at the very, very bottom, according to the general prison population, are the sex criminals. The rapists. The child molesters.

  And the woman killers.

  Cons have women and children whom they love. And as much as they love their own, they detest the sex killer. If he did what he did to his victims, he would be capable of doing the same to their women and children.

  The grapevine at Oregon State Prison had telegraphed that Jerry Brudos was coming in, whispered intelligence that works faster than anything on the outside.

  They were ready for him.

  A sex killer on the inside is lucky if he only gets the silent treatment. He must always be looking over his shoulder, be aware that whatever punishment he managed to avoid in society may well be waiting for him.

  He may lose his mind, or his balls, or his life in prison.

  There is a rule of thumb in prison: never put a woman-killer in a cell on one of the upper tiers. He may have an "accidental" fall. Jerry Brudos was housed in a ground-floor cell.

  The cons gave Jerry the silent treatment, declaring him a nonperson.

  When he moved through the chow lines, he kept his eyes on his tray—watching the piles of starchy stuff for which he had no appetite. Eating meant that he would have to find a spot at one of the tables in the vast hall.

  It didn't really matter where Jerry Brudos chose a seat; he would be eating alone within a few moments. Some one of the other prisoners would give a slight nod, and the cons would get up en masse and move. It was an effective way to ostracize him. All the other tables would be crowded, and Jerry Brudos would be left sitting alone at a long table, as visible as if a spotlight shone on him.

  Jerry Brudos lost his appetite.

  The prisoner was no longer overweight. Within a short time his weight had dropped to 150 pounds. Feeling the eyes of his fellow prisoners, hearing their comments directed at him—"Something stinks, I think I'm gonna puke"; "I don't eat with no perverts"; and "Woman killer"—he could only swirl his food around his plate and wait for the bell to clang.

  Before—outside—he had had so much control over people; his strength made him respected. His flaring temper frightened them. Now, no one would even talk to him, and Darcie no longer wrote to him. He listened, always, for the sound of footsteps behind him.

  On August 13, 1969, someone slammed a bucket of water into the left side of his head. His ears rang from the blow, and he was hustled off to the infirmary. Doctors there found he had a mild inflammation of the eardrum, but no perforation. He complained of pain in his lower back after the incident and was taken "outside" for a visit to a chiropractor.

  He was positive that they were out to get him, that somebody—maybe the whole lot of them—only waited for the opportunity to kill him. He began to keep a log recording the dates and details of crimes against him.

  He also began to study lawbooks available to him in prison, confident that he would find a way to get out through his intelligence and a clever use of legal procedure.

  He did not repent his crimes or grieve for his victims. He only continued to rail at the unfairness of the whole situation.

  Jerry Brudos objected to a great many things. He was furious that his children had been removed from him, insisting that he was a fit parent, and deserved a hearing. Darcie divorced him in August 1970, changed her name, and moved away. This, too, he found unfair. He had been a good husband, and now she had deserted him. Darcie and the youngsters were together again, and she would spend the years ahead trying to forget Jerry Brudos and what he had done. Grateful to Charlie Burt, Darcie would write to him from wherever she was—letters at first, and finally only a remembrance at Christmas. The name she chose for herself and the children is a common name, and there is nothing to be gained from revealing it here. She seeks only anonymity and peace after horror.

  Jerry began peppering the Oregon court system with requests and writs, documents which he wrote painstakingly in his own printed hand, following forms he found in lawbooks. His spelling was often flawed, but a faithful reproduction of his arguments tells much about the man's thinking processes.

  On September 18, 1970, Brudos submitted a petition for a "Writ of Mandanus, Before the Honorable Supreme Court of the State of Oregon." He listed "exhibits" in his index, and began his seven-page argument:

  Now comes the defendant/petitioner, Jerome H. Brudos, who does at this time enter before this Honorable Court, to issue a writ of Mandanus, directed to the Marion County Circuit Court, that NO later than the 15th day of October, 1970, to:

  1. Issue to the defendant/petitioner, a complete, exacting and Itemized reciept, particulary describing each and every Iten removed from the defendans posession by the Marion County Sheriff's Department, the Marion County District Attorney's Office, the Salem City Policce Department, and Any and ALL other oriznations who did remove any or all property from the defendant's/petitioner's House, Garage, Outbuildings, Automobiles, and ALL other containers, On, About or After the 25th day of May, 1962 [sic].

  2. To order dismissed and declair for Naught, the Judgment for the apparent amount of $8,179.00 against the defendant for totaly unsubstaincated and unfounded 'Costs and Disburshments,' against him.

  3. To release immediatly all property Not Taken Upon a Serchwarrent, to the defendant/petitioner and his agent, one Ned Rawls …

  —/OR/—

  To order immediatly, a Jury trial as is guarnteed by the 6th or 7th Amendment of the United States Constitution, which ever shall apply, Also Artcle I, Section II or, Section 17 which ever shall apply.

  Brudos then listed seventeen "authorities" he had gleaned from his research. He had forgotten the year of his crimes, listing instead 1962, but he had what he considered powerful arguments on his behalf:

  —Presentment—

  As can be seen from exibit 1, the Marion County Circuit Court has apparently given Judgment against the defendant/petitioner, yet the Court has ignored every inquirey, petition and ALL Requeats for information by this defendant/petitioner. This is such an obvious and flagrent, willful Violation of Constitutional Rights that it goes with [sic] saying, However, since this Court is not familiar with this case, this petitioner will attempt to lay out the full parimiters of the Case without the aid of an Attorney for the defendant/petitioner is without funds with which to employ an attorney.

  There is no room for argument for the defendant/petioner has repeadly writen to the Marion County Circuit Court, the Marion District Attorney's Office seeking information and/or/ a reciept and yet nether office has responded once with so much as an acknowlegiment of reciept of the Letters, Let alone supplied any of the requested information conserning These matters.

  The 5th and 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, along with Article 1, Section(s) 10 ALL Guarntee "Due Process," but, Article 1, Section 20 goes on to guarntee that "No Court shall be secret, but Justice shall be administered openly and without purchase," yet as was seen in exibit 1, That is the only notice the defendant/petitioner, has received and then that was quite by accident out of an old newspaper, and that was after the Judgment was given. The defendant's property was confiscated, the defendent sued, Judgment given, and then a second hearing held which Judgment was given that the defendant/petitioner has no claim upon his own personal property inspite of O.R.S. 23.160 and 23.200.

  What was Jerry Brudos so angry about? The state of Oregon has seized his belongings, the tools and gear in his shop, in an attempt to repay the state some of the $8,000-plus that his court costs had totaled. To Jerry Brudos, the law was there to protect him. And only him.

  To state that this Law is being used indiscrimitly would be so crass and Grossly incorrect for the facts are plain and simple, This law has been used very discrimitly and soley against the defendant/petitioner. …

  He cited two pages of statutes that he felt applied to himself, and then railed at the court:

  Well it goes without saying that if we c
onvict a man of a crime, place him in jail and then stand idely by while His tools of his trade and personal property stolden systematicly and Legaly? We then must have reformed him even if He must turn to a Life of Crime for he no longer has the needed tools with which to work at his ocupation or proper clothing Etc. This further only dimenstrats the Marion County Court Attitude Twards Justice. They don't give a damn about the Laws, Constitution or anything else except, they have a helpless victim who cannot fight Back and Two Court appointed attorneys who will co-operate with the Court or the prosecution's Lest Whim.

  A Freudian slip? Or only the man's view of himself as a "helpless victim who cannot fight back"?

  Judge Val Sloper had taken exquisite pains to be sure that Jerry Brudos had understood what he was pleading guilty to—but a year in prison had clouded Brudos' memory. Now he was claiming complete innocence of the crimes.

  During the arguments before the Court of Appeals [sic] upon another facit of this case, it was broght out that the Circuit Court Judge ordered the defendant's attorneys to Look at the psudo evidance compiled. That was on a Friday and the defendant was to go to trial the following monday and yet One attorney had not even bothered to look at the evidance. When the defendant requested to see the evidance he was told by his Attorneys "Oh no you don't get to see the evidance." The defendant has since found out why. There is photographs that were manifactured to make it appear Like the defendant was guilty of the Crime and the prosecution could not afford to Allow the defendant to see these phony pictures. They then proceeded to Threatnen the defendant's Life along with repurcussions which would be effected upon his wife and children.

  Marion County in That respect makes the Communiust Countrys and their methods Look Like Mickey Mouse Culb, for the defendant has the prrof and yet the Marion County Courts are concerned about a conviction only and could care Less that the Victim of this whole thing is in fact innosent. It can be seen from Exibit 2, Clearly shows that this is in fact the truth yet everybody says, "I sincerly doubit that it happened," yet nobody bothered to check. A plain and simple fact. There is a multitude of witnesses and evidence to substaciate this along with his personal testimony.

  Brudos' "Exibit 2" was a statement purportedly made by a fellow prisoner alleging that Brudos had been treated unfairly, and repeating Brudos' feeling that he had been poisoned in jail! The statement mentioned that Brudos' bedding had been removed during the day and returned only at night. Since the prisoner had threatened suicide, it was a prudent move on the part of the jail staff. Brudos was fed separately from the other prisoners; it was for his own protection. In the Marion County jail, there might well have been other inmates who would have delighted in poisoning him, if the opportunity arose. It was hardly information that was new to the courts. Nor was it a legally sound basis for a new trial.

  Brudos wound up his "mandanus" writ with an emotional paragraph:

  The really teriable part is that the defendant/petitioner is in fact innocent of The Charges, yet the prosecution did have such a Lever against the defendant they got confessions for Cases that they didn't even have boddies for. Such threats were used that they could obtain such confessions yet the defense attorneys did not even question that. If One Court, Just One would have retained It's impartiality and had attempted to seek the truth and Justice it whould have been exposed, but Marion County Judicial system is so far out upon a Limb they fear of sawing it off Them self, there fore "we" says the Court "Will do nothing without an order stating we must, then we will have to try to get around that then."

  The petitioner/defendant does therefore pray this Honorable Court will issue this writ of Mandanus and start to instill some form of Justice in the County that the State Capitol is in and this type of Decay can only spreed if not checked now.

  Did Jerry Brudos believe his own arguments? Perhaps.

  Perhaps he only wanted out.

  The "confessions" had been made by Brudos himself. Yes, he had confessed to killing Linda Slawson and Jan Whitney, knowing that their bodies had not been found. He had chosen to brag about the murders to Jim Stovall.

  In the late summer of 1970, the lack of those victims' bodies was a moot point—at least in the case of Jan Whitney. Picnickers along the Willamette River at a spot somewhat below the Independence Bridge saw what they took to be a lamb's carcass caught up in branches near the shore.

  It was not a lamb; it was all that was left of Jan Whitney, her body surfacing so many months after she had had the terrible misfortune of meeting Jerome Henry Brudos. Identification was possible only through dental records. Cause of death could no longer be determined.

  Brudos was a frequent patient in the prison infirmary. The records are cryptic, and give no details.

  On January 1, 1971 , he was treated for "rectal bleeding." Perhaps he suffered from hemorrhoids; possibly there were other reasons.

  He had lost his battle to recover his property so that he might carry on his occupation. Since he was serving three life terms back-to-back, it was doubtful that his services as an electrician would be soon available to citizens in the Salem area.

  A small ad appeared in the Salem Capital Journal and the Salem Statesman on March 23, 1971:

  Sheriff's Sale—March 27, 1971, 1 P.M. Marion County Shops, 5155 Silverton Rd. N.E., Craftsman Roll Cabinet and Tools, Electric Hand Tools, Rifle Re-Loading Equipment, Antique Telephone Insulators, Scuba Diving Equipment, Many Miscellaneous Items. Terms: Cash.

  Sales were brisk. The gear taken from Jerry Brudos' grisly workshop netted the state of Oregon something over eleven hundred dollars. The citizens of the state would have to pay for the rest of Jerry Brudos' legal procedures through their taxes.

  There were others who attempted to obtain Jerry Brudos' property. His mother, Eileen, asserted that it was all rightfully hers—since she had lent him so much money, by her own reckoning—that had never been repaid. Ned Rawls and another friend asked for some of Brudos' tools and guns, and Darcie too laid claim to the gear left behind.

  All of them were denied. Darcie's claims against the estate had already been satisfied when she signed a receipt for certain items: a movie screen, a camera, lawn chairs, throw rugs not used in evidence, a box fan, two blankets, a box of slides, miscellaneous personal papers, and a BB gun.

  These were to be her assets, along with some furniture and clothes—very little after eight years of marriage.

  Jerry Brudos continued to suffer "accidents" in prison. In 1971 his neck was broken, fractured at the fifth cervical bone, "C-5." He refused to say just how it had been broken, and it is not explained in his medical records beyond the terse "Fracture at C-5. Patient placed in body cast, healed in an acceptable position."

  Brudos frequently complained of migraine headaches, palpitations, depression, and myriad other symptoms. He was treated with Meritene and Ritalin and various combinations of drugs to alleviate his headaches.

  He remained a pariah among his fellow prisoners.

  He kept up his filing of notices of appeal. In 1972 the basis of his appeal was bizarre; he contended that the dead girl in one picture was not Karen Sprinker at all (detectives had asked Dr. Sprinker to look only at the facial portion of the picture to save him further pain). Brudos said he had been convicted for killing someone unknown. With almost unthinkable gall, Brudos wanted to subpoena Karen Sprinker's father. He wanted to force Dr. Sprinker to study the grotesque pictures of his daughter, and then he submitted that he, Brudos, could prove that the girl portrayed was not Karen, but a stranger, a woman who was a willing subject he'd photographed years before!

  Blessedly for the grieving family, the appeal was denied.

  By December 1974 Jerry Brudos had seized upon an entirely new theory, a theory somewhat supported by a psychologist he had been seeing in prison. Brudos had always avoided any responsibility for his crimes; now he had a handle on something that he felt would explain all of it. The psychologist had suggested that Brudos was hypoglycemic. That is, that he had low blood sugar, a
condition blamed—rightly or wrongly—for many of modern man's physical and emotional problems.

  Not all the prison psychological staff agreed with the diagnosis of hypoglycemia, however. In an evaluation done on December 11, 1974, one doctor wrote of Brudos:

  I see Mr. Brudos as a paranoid personality without any real evidence of thought disorder or a psychotic process. He is able to conform his behavior to his environment, and is functioning very efficiently and without difficulty. He is quite an intelligent individual, and, coupled with his paranoia, he is a problem in management. He had a very good relationship in therapy with Dr. B., but the benefit of this relationship was that Dr. B. thought the basic difficulty was that of a physical disease—mainly hypoglycemia. And in this way, Mr. Brudos could escape the responsibility for the heinous crimes. With the present mental status of Mr. Brudos, I see him as a potentially very dangerous individual were he to be released into the community. This situation will continue unless he has intensive and prolonged psychotherapy—not group therapy—but at the present time this does not seem realistic with the shortage of available trained personnel. I strongly recommend there be no change in the current situation concerning Mr. Brudos.

  Brudos would not let go of the "hypoglycemic" diagnosis; he saw it as his ticket out of prison and his vindication. In a hearing in October 1976 he submitted this theory to the court. He had "fired" a succession of court-appointed attorneys, but his new lawyer asked for time so that famed Dr. Lendon Smith, "The Children's Doctor" of television note, could submit a letter on his evaluation of Jerry Brudos' condition.