Morgue File: Bob Berdella

The Star has a huge library of old clippings and photographs; old-timers call it the morgue. We use a computer database that stores all our stories now, but some of the most interesting items are still on paper in filing cabinets. Once or twice a week, I'll be posting a few of those pieces from the archive.

This week: Bob Berdella, convicted in one of the city's most notorious serial killings. Berdella drugged, tortured and killed a series of young men at his home in Hyde Park. It all became public when one of his victims, who'd been abused for days, escaped wearing nothing but a dog collar. The top photo, obviously, is Berdella's booking shot. This is a scanned image of The Star's first big story about the case, which is in two parts.

An exterior shot of Berdella's home. Local millionaire Del Dunmire bought the place and had it torn down in 1993. Click here for a larger version.

From the original cutline: Police on Monday excavate the yard of a man who was charged with sodomizing a hitch-hiker he allegedly held captive for five days. On Sunday, police found what appeared to be a human skull in the yard. Click here for the complete, larger image.

From the original cutline: A Kansas City police officer throws a shovel-full of dirt while digging beneath the porch of a house in midtown Kansas City owned by Robert Berdella. Authorities have already found human bones and a skull buried on the property, along with photos in the house showing young men being tortured. Click here for the complete, larger image.

Berdella was sentenced to life in prison. He ended up serving four years and two months before he died of a heart attack in 1992. He was 43. Click here for the story about his death, as well as the second part.

Comments

[CareBear]

I met this spawn of the devil and he was completely creepy. When I worked downtown, we would frequently go to lunch at the hamburger joint in the Westport Flea Market. He had his macabre space in the Market and after the first time we stopped to browse, we completely avoided his space at all costs! Wish I had known then what I learned later. Could possibly have saved some from a horrible death.

[monty]

Dont be so hard on yourself Carebear,its only partially your fault.
Am I the only one who heard rumors that the "heart attack" was a coverup for his own untimely murder.
And we are undeniably the Serial Killer Capitol of the Western civilizations. What with Berdella,Breeden,Blair, and the Gillham Park killer making sure that a Streetwalker has the life expectancy of a puppy crossing Metcalf to our glorious Gangsta past(Honkies,Homies and Guineas,we here in KC love a good killin'.

[blarney]

Bob Berdella was a pretty normal guy in person. I used to go to his shop at the Westport Flea Market on occasion. Had been to parties at his house along with many other folks. Yea he was a little odd but didn't know he was to this extent. He just seemed like a pretty run of the mill kind of guy.

[The Zipper]

I guy a went to College with was a serious drunk and berdella helped him a few times and got him off the street. After Berdella was caught the KC cops flew to Vegas and paid him $ 300 bucks to interview him. He was drugged by Berdella like many others. he is sure that the only reason he wasn't killed was because his brother-in-law knew berdella from the Flea market and Berdella was sure that if something happened that the brother-in-law would come looking for him. He also said Berdella was ok in person but I don't know. Anybody that could be doing that stuff was a real life bonafide, certified freak. From what I hear Berdella was very lucky to have a died of a heart attack in prison cuz a ton of other inmates wanted a piece of his ass. (dead or alive)

[The Zipper]

I guy a went to College with was a serious drunk and berdella helped him a few times and got him off the street. After Berdella was caught the KC cops flew to Vegas and paid him $ 300 bucks to interview him. He was drugged by Berdella like many others. he is sure that the only reason he wasn't killed was because his brother-in-law knew berdella from the Flea market and Berdella was sure that if something happened that the brother-in-law would come looking for him. He also said Berdella was ok in person but I don't know. Anybody that could be doing that stuff was a real life bonafide, certified freak. From what I hear Berdella was very lucky to have a died of a heart attack in prison cuz a ton of other inmates wanted a piece of his ass. (dead or alive)

[CareBear]

Well blarney, you must have seen a different guy than we saw. It scared the crap out of me when he approached myself and my co-workers. There was nothing nice about him that I saw, only a sinister character.

Zipper-ain't if funny, you were looking for monty and here he was the whole time!

[CareBear]

sorry, that was supposed to be ain't IT funny!

[paul]

You forgot Robinson, who was the first of the internet serial killers, I'm always reminded of him when i chat with anyone online

[paul]

You forgot Robinson, who was the first of the internet serial killers, I'm always reminded of him when i chat with anyone online

[paul]

opps sorry bout that

[sgtrusmc]

I lived in KC for six years, from 2001 to 2006, and didn't even know about this story till after I had left. I read 'Rites of Burial' and even though it creeped me out with the detail and how sadistic Berdella was, I couldn't put it down. I know this guy is rotting down in hell for the things he did while he was alive...

[searching]

There once was a man named berdella
Who liked to take home the fellas
He'd put on a collar,
Until they would hollar,
and locked them away in the cellar!

[meander]

adding to search:

Then he'd cut away the lard,
and buried them in the back yard.

[onetime]

Neat idea on looking up some of the "old time" stuff from before the computers. I think some of that stuff is interesting. I have about 3 or 4 small boxes of old KCK Detective stuff in my house. 2 owners ago I guess the guy who lived there solved murders. There are all sorts of written things, pictures of people being followed, etc. Interesting stuff.

[jpbikerfreak]

What's really interesting about old articles is that you see the same things being said and argued.

When I lived near Wellsville, KS, the paper there regularly featured articles from 25, 50, 75, and 100 years ago.

There was one from 75 years ago I believe in which people were upset about youth smoking. There were statments such as, "don't they know how bad that is for their health?" LOL...

Then there was one from 100 years ago about a lady who petitioned the judge to move back in with her ex husband because they wanted to get married again. Seems she had to have the judge's permission to make things "right" I guess.

But one of the best was from 100 years ago... the local townfolk ran off some people who were accused of 'playing cards'. The town preacher helped with that one of course.

[strlslvr987]

I remember the store in the Flea Market was called "Bob's Bizarre Bazaar"...really! And there were skulls sitting on shelves in that place. It was determined those in his store were not actual human skulls but still was very creepy.

[strlslvr987]

Oops...should have read the story first, I see they mentioned it in the article. I believe the reason Del Dunmire bought that property was there were so many "lookie-loos" driving by taking pictures like it was a tourist attraction or something. Sick!!!

[Megan]

Thanks for posting this, James...I just finished a class on serial killers at Baker U, and this goes right along with it. Simply fascinating that these people can be right under our noses and we don't even realize it.

[billybob]

he was involved with kcpt tv in kansas
city as a major donor.
he was a nut case. He told us that he designed and sold jewelry to many wealthy
people in kansas city including
muriel kaufmann. He was truly a devil
worshiper.

[Quad Kings]

There are so many other breakfast options. I just can't understand why anyone would kill for cereal!

( :

[Not Bizarre]

KC the serial killer capital of the world?

Hey, now, monty: Breeden? Yeah the cops were "sure" he was the river hooker killer, but NEVER were able to bring ANYTHING to court.

Instead they locked him up for YEARS on a bad check charge and then had to let him go. He's suing KC currently I believe for being publicly linked to the killings by the worst major city police force in the USA, KCPD. They ransacked his property, found nothing, kept him incarcerated for things like a bad check, which apparently was caused by the fact that he was kept in jail on the bogus murder charges and couldn't make a deposit to cover it.

So even though they couldn't find anything to jail him on, the KCPD made one they could.

And still people call him a serial killer. Poor guy.

[J.B.]

Thought you all might be interested...an exerpt from the book about Berdella:

The nude man could barely talk and his foot appeared to be injured. His eyes were swollen and red, and he seemed to have trouble seeing in the daylight. When the officers asked him what had happened, it was clear that he was in terrible distress and still shaken from some as-yet-unknown ordeal.

A parking meter man told police he had seen the man actually jump out of a second-floor window from a home directly across the street. The address was 4315 Charlotte Street. It was the meter man who had asked a neighbor to call the police.

On closer inspection, according to Jackman and Cole in Rites of Burial, the definitive account of the case, the dazed man bore scars around his eyes and mouth and on his wrists. The officers covered him with a blanket. When he was able, he told them his name, Chris Bryson, and then went into some detail about the place from which he had just escaped. For some reason, he lied and said that he had been picked up by a man and a woman, but he later said that it had just been one person.

4315 Charlotte Street, Bob Berdella's home

The 22-year-old admitted that he'd been invited to a "party" by a man in a brown Toyota and was taken to this house. Because he did not want police to view him as a male prostitute, he did not tell them the area where he had been picked up—which was indeed where male hookers plied their trade. Bryson's encounter with the man occurred several days earlier, at around midnight on March 29. Since that time, he had been subjected to one form of brutality after another. With a show of emotion, Bryson said that he was certain he would have been killed if he hadn't escaped.

The driver, an older man, had said his name was Bob, and started drinking beers in the car. As they came to the house, Bryson saw that it was a three-story affair with the number clearly visible. He didn't expect to have any trouble with the man. At 5-foot-10, if they got into a scrap, he believed he could handle himself. Bob was taller than him but paunchy and out of shape.

Inside, the place was a mess. Junk was piled up in several rooms, and it smelled strongly of dogs and feces. Bob showed him around, saying he'd been an art student and he liked to collect things. He invited Bryson to go upstairs, using some excuse about getting away from his dogs. Bryson acquiesced and went up the steps first.

As he reached the top landing, he came in for a harsh surprise. A strong blow to the back of his head sent him falling forward. Dazed, he tried to turn and defend himself, but his host was fast. He felt the prick of a needle in his neck and knew that Bob was injecting him with something. But he couldn't fight. He couldn't move. In short order, he blacked out.

Bryson woke up and found himself on a bed, tied spread-eagle to the bed posts. He had no clothes on and he had no idea how much time had passed. As he fell back into blackness, he was unaware that Bob was placing the dog collar around his neck and tying him quite firmly into place with a sash-like material. He also did not know until later that Bob had taken his picture in various positions, had poked and prodded him, and had described the entire incident in shorthand in a journal.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/bob_berdella/2.html

[James Hart]

billybob -- You're absolutely right. One of the photos I found, but didn't post, was a pic of Berdella volunteering at the KCPT auction.

[we]

does anybody know if the movie that came out a few yers ago about berdella is available on video. if so where can i find it? i forgot the name of it. i think they showed it at the tivoli.

[we]

Bazaar Bizarre IS THE NAME OF THE MOVIE

[BF]

If you ever get a chance to read up about this guy, here's one link to the story:

http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/bob_berdella/index.html

The story is really creepy and most people don't know that they never identified the other 20-30 guys in the pictures that Bob had in his collection of torture photos. Most in states of serious torture. Bob ultimately only admitted to the 5 or 6 vicitms that he had documentation beyond the photos.

[JL]

I never knew exactly where he lived until now, and I realized my friend lives basically next door to where his house use to be at 4305 Charlotte. Creepy.

[sevenyearhawk]

I'll never forget going down to the Fleamarket with my grandparents for lunch ...

I must have been about 10 or 12, I remember walking past his booth and he was sitting on a stool - his eyes followed me the entire way, from one side to the other, how creepy!

Who could have known what was to follow ...

[sevenyearhawk]

those skulls on the shelf, didn't he have four displayed when KU made one of the Final Fours (1986 or 88) with a sign that said: The Final Four?!?

[Not Dining]

Also, Big Bob used to bring in Chili to the Fleamarket, on Thursdays I think it was.

Apparently it was a very popular item on the menu each week.

Some think it was how Berdella got rid of so many bodies.

Patrons of the Flea ate 'em...

[Malcolm]

Did Larry crack this case?

[Lucifer]

I am very happy to hear he is DEAD..

[Old Crank]

I think the Star is showing its usual lack of class by posting this crap. This will only serve to bring back bad memories for the victums familes. Great job, James....but I guess you don't care because you are in show business

[Frances From KC]

First off, don't get that stupid James Ellroy movie about Bob. It's HORRIBLE and full of mistakes. I followed this case very closely (true crime buff here). There was NEVER any evidence that Bob did anything with the bodies except throw them out with the trash. Rites of Burial is the best book about Bob. James Ellroy likes to mix truth and non truth in all his books and movies.

[Kenneth P Hunsucker]

I went to school with Jerry Howl and his brother Paul. I can't believe that bastard did what he did to my friends!

[1]

Please kill Ben Stark @ 1023 aspen circle Smithville MO