The Story of Jerry Brudos, the Shoe Killer!

The Story of Jerry Brudos, the Shoe Killer!

Jerry Brudos: A plump man with childlike features, giving no indication that he was a ruthless murderer who killed many women without heart or mercy. He was a prisoner of his perverse thoughts. Jerry was a father of two, beloved by his neighbors, and known for being an extremely loving father. He neither smoked nor drank alcohol, and his neighbors had never heard him argue with anyone; he was a calm and easygoing man.

Jerry was obsessed with women's shoes, a bizarre obsession that led him to collect numerous magazines featuring pictures of glittering women's shoes of all styles.

Jerry's deviant fantasies didn't stop at simply admiring women's shoes. He would sometimes chase after a woman, kick her, knock her to the ground, grab her shoe, and run away! His obsession extended to seeing women completely naked, wearing only high-heeled shoes.

In addition to his intense focus on women's underwear, he would sometimes sneak into his neighbors' homes and steal their lingerie, or disguise himself and roam at night, attacking women in their sleep and forcing them to remove their underwear for himself.

Jerry's first victim was a nineteen-year-old girl, an expatriate working as a bookseller to pay her rent and university fees, and simply to survive. Her bad luck led her to the home of the shoe-obsessed Brudos, and she knocked on his door, unaware that she was knocking on the door of a deranged monster.

Brudos seemed like a nice guy, and the girl thought he was going to buy some books from her. He was particularly struck by her bright red shoes and invited her into his cloak in the backyard. She was reassured when she saw his two children running around in the garden; he wasn't alone, after all.

Jerry told his wife to take the children and go out for dinner so he could finish some work. Of course, the only work he had was this poor girl who had come to him of her own accord.

Once the girl entered Jerry's cloak, which he kept locked and off to prevent anyone from approaching, Jerry attacked her and strangled her with his bare hands until she died. He waited until his wife and children left, then began to sexually abuse the body lying before him. After he finished photographing her underwear and shoes, he had to dispose of the body. He cut off her leg with a saw at the top and kept it to try on all the shoes he had previously stolen.

Jerry took the rest of the body, tied it to an old car engine, and threw it into a nearby river. When the leg began to rot and decompose, Jerry was forced to throw it into the river, leaving the girl's entire body at the bottom, unnoticed by anyone.

Brods's second victim fell when he was driving along a road and found her standing next to her car, which had broken down and she couldn't start it. Jerry offered her a ride while he quickly checked her car and got it fixed. On the way, Brods convinced her that he could fix the car.

However, he needed to bring some tools from his house. The girl agreed and went with him to his house. He asked her permission to tell his wife that he was going out with her to fix her car. She waited for him, only to find him attacking her from behind, strangling her with both hands until she died.

Jerry dragged the body into the garage and raped her. He then placed it in a large freezer to preserve it for as long as possible. He tried on all the underwear he owned, then hung the body on two old hooks to make it appear as if it were standing. Jerry then went on a trip with his wife and children, leaving the body hanging. When he returned, the body had begun to decompose. Jerry kept her breasts and threw the rest of the body into the river, just as he had done before.

The truth came to light: One day, an old fisherman went to the river as usual to fish, but he was surprised to find his fishing line entangled in something very heavy, as if something was preventing it from rising to the surface. The man informed the police, who came and removed what was caught on the line. They found the body of a girl with her hands tied and her breasts cut off. Her description matched that of a girl who had been reported missing. With more attempts and effort, the number of bodies increased, and the truth began to emerge.

The girls Jerry killed weren't the only ones. Many others escaped him, all giving the same description of the attacker: a heavyset man with a childlike face who sometimes dressed in women's clothing.

Several days later, one of the girls reported that a man had tried to contact her and ask her out, but his behavior seemed strange. After she provided his description, the police convinced her to arrange a meeting. Jerry went to meet him, and the police were waiting. They questioned him, then released him, placing him under surveillance.

Investigators found the same type of rope used to restrain the victims at Jerry's workplace. They also found an unlicensed handgun in his car. A review of his records revealed a long history of arrests. A search of his home uncovered numerous pieces of evidence, all of which were photographs he had taken of his victims, including one showing his reflection in a mirror as he took the picture.

The trial:

Jerry, who confessed to all his crimes motivated by a shoe obsession, was arrested and received three sentences in multiple cases that led to him being imprisoned for life without parole. All pardon requests submitted by Jerry while in prison were rejected, until he died in his cell in 2006 from lung cancer.