Summary:
The profile of one of the most barbarous serial killers in U.S. history who participated in vile acts of sexual torture and murder.
Personal Information:
General Information:
Bob’s Bazarre Bazaar And More:
Robert Berdella was the owner of a store called Bob’s Bazarre Bazaar in Kansas City, Missouri that specialized in novelty items that appealed to those with darker and occult-type taste. Around the neighborhood he was considered odd but was liked and participated in organizing a local community crime watch programs. However, inside his home, it was discovered that Robert ‘Bob’ Berdella lived in a world dominated by sadomasochistic slavery, murder and barbarous torture.
What Goes On Behind Closed Doors:
On April 2, 1988 a neighbor found a young man on his porch clad in only a dog collar fastened around his neck. The man told the neighbor an incredible tale of sexual tortuous abuse that he had endured at the hands of Berdella. The police placed Berdella in custody and searched his home where 357 photographs of victims in various positions of torture were recovered. Also found were torture devices, occult literature, ritual robes, human skills and bones and a human head in Bedella’s yard.
The Photographs Disclose Murder:
By April 4 the authorities had an overwhelming amount of evidence to charge Berdella on seven counts of sodomy, one count of felonious restraint and one account of first degree assault. After closer scrutiny of the photographs it was discovered that six of the 23 men identified were homicide victims. The other people in the pictures were there voluntarily and participated in sadomasochistic activities with the victims.
The Torture Diary:
Berdella established the 'Rules of the House' which were mandatory for his victims or they risked being beaten or receiving bolts of electric shock on sensitive areas of their bodies. In a detailed diary that Berdella kept, he logged details and the effects of the torture he would subject upon his victims. He seemed to have a fascination with injecting drugs, bleach, and other caustics into the eyes and throats of his victims then anally raped or inserted foreign objects inside of them.
No Indication of Satanic Rituals:
On December 19, 1988, Berdella pled guilty to one count of first and to an additional four counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of other victims.
There were attempts by various media organizations to try to connect the crimes of Berdella to the idea of a nationwide underground satanic group but the investigators responded that over 550 people were interviewed and at no point was there any indication that the crimes were connected to a satanic ritual or group.
Berdella received life in prison where he died of a heart attack in 1992 soon after writing a letter to his minister claiming that the prison officials refused to give him his heart medication. Berdella’s death was never investigated.