The Fetish Killer

Jerry Brudos

Jerome Brudos' three life sentences ended on March 28, 2006, at the age of 67, as reported in Salem, Oregon's Statesman Journal.  The longest-incarcerated inmate (almost 37 years) at Oregon State Penitentiary was thought to have died from natural causes. 

When Brudos pled guilty in mid-1969 to the strangulation murders of three young women, he was convicted and imprisoned.  Apparently, states Salem-news.com, crime writer Ann Rule, who authored the only book about Brudos, predicted he'd be in prison for about 36 years.

A model prisoner and computer expert, Brudos held out hope for release, going before the parole board at regular intervals and insisting he was no longer a danger to society.  However, he never expressed remorse for his crimes, blaming his lethal act on his mother's abuse.  At times, he even recanted his confessions and said he was not guilty.  Yet he'd also admitted that killing had relieved stress.

Although he was denied parole, over the years he received privileges in the prison, including unsupervised mobility.  He was found dead in his bed around 5:10 in the morning.  Other reports indicate that he'd had treatment for colon cancer, and during the week before his death had been going to the prison infirmary.