Southeast
Former FBI agent recalls the one serial killer who left her ‘shaken’: ‘He just didn’t seem human’
Jana Monroe wasn’t expecting to receive a phone call from “The Co-Ed Killer.”
It was the early 1990s and Monroe was a member of the FBI’s Behavioral Sciences Unit at Quantico, Virginia. She wasn’t afraid to go face-to-face with a serial killer – but this encounter with Edmund Kemper was different.
“He left me shaken,” Monroe admitted to Fox News Digital. “I certainly didn’t give him any way to contact me, and yet he was able to do just that. It’s very difficult in prisons or mental institutions to make phone calls. You can earn that right with good behavior. So I was surprised to hear from him. And that monotone voice – it’s very chilling. Very creepy.”
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Jana Monroe was the model for Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster) in “The Silence of the Lambs.” (Michael Ochs Archives)
The former FBI agent recently wrote a memoir titled “Hearts of Darkness: Serial Killers, the Behavioral Science Unit, and My Life as a Woman in the FBI.” It explores the challenges she faced as a woman in the male-dominated Bureau, as well as the cases that have stayed with her over the years.
Monroe was the model for Clarice Starling in “The Silence of the Lambs.” She even helped train Jodie Foster for the Oscar-winning role. Monroe has consulted on more than 850 homicide cases, including those involving serial killers such as Kemper.
In the ’70s, Kemper murdered eight people, including his mother and her close friend.
Edmund Kemper was charged with killing eight people, including his mother. (Getty Images)
“I don’t know whether Anthony Hopkins used him as a model, but his role as Hannibal Lecter reminded me so much of Kemper,” Monroe explained. “Kemper had a way of staring at you and through you. He didn’t blink very much. His face was emotionless. He would just stare at you and not blink. The same was true of his voice. It’s completely devoid of emotion. Just flat. Hearing it gives you the chills. He just didn’t seem human.”
Jana Monroe didn’t know how Edmund Kemper, known as “The Co-Ed Killer,” was able to find her number and call her. (Getty Images)
Kemper, known as “Big Ed” for his towering 6’9″ frame, first committed homicide at age 15 when he fatally shot his grandparents in 1964. Kemper, diagnosed with schizophrenia, was remanded to the custody of San Luis Obispo County’s maximum-security Atascadero State Hospital, Investigation Discovery reported.
According to the outlet, he was released in 1969 at age 21. Kemper was allowed to live with his mother in Aptos, California, because he convinced psychiatrists he was no longer a threat to himself or society. Soon after, he went on an 11-month killing spree. His last known homicide occurred in 1973. He was convicted that year and sentenced to life in a maximum-security prison.
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Edmund Kemper’s right arm is bandaged following a suicide attempt in his Redwood City cell. He received eight concurrent life sentences. (Bettmann)
“I don’t know if you believe in IQ tests or not, but he always tested very high on those standardized tests,” Monroe said. “He was very intelligent. But what was so significant about him was that he had no conscience… A true sociopath. He would try to conjure up a tear when he spoke of his mother because he knew that’s what normal people would do if they were feeling sad or guilty. But he could never quite pull it off. So to see someone who truly has no feelings, someone who tries to mimic feelings… it’s just creepy. I hadn’t seen anybody do it to that extent.”
Jana Monroe’s book, “Hearts of Darkness,” is available in bookstores. (Harry N. Abrams)
Monroe was never in the same room as Ted Bundy because he wanted “absolutely no females present.” One of the nation’s most prolific serial killers, who slaughtered at least 30 women and girls across the country in the ‘70s, was executed in 1989. He was 42.
“The reason he didn’t want to speak to a female investigator was based on how he looked at females,” Monroe explained. “He didn’t look at women with respect. He didn’t think they could hold a position above him, even with him being behind bars. He degraded women and did not want to think of them in any kind of professional setting.”
Ted Bundy refused to meet with a female investigator. (Getty Images)
Monroe learned that Bundy only chose what he described as “worthy victims.”
“What he meant was he selected women that were, by his standards, very attractive,” she said. “They were in college or had jobs, careers. He didn’t think prostitutes were worthy because anybody could have them. Part of that excitement and thrill he got was having an attractive, well-accomplished woman take note of him and being able to take control of them.”
“For him, it was all a challenging game,” she said.
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Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms, or a total of 957 years, in prison. Dahmer was killed by a fellow prisoner, Christopher Scarver, 28, in November 1994 at Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin. (Eugene Garcia/Getty Images)
In 1994, Monroe was supposed to interview Jeffrey Dahmer, known as “The Milwaukee Cannibal.” But two days before their sit-down, Dahmer was bludgeoned to death by a fellow inmate. He was 34.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Monroe admitted. “We have a term called ‘prison justice.’ It’s a pecking order. Within prison walls, the worst are the child molesters and incest cases, but especially any case involving a child. Although not all of Dahmer’s victims were that young, some were certainly under the age of 21. He was also homosexual. Typically, prisoners like that are in protective custody or have them isolated from others for that reason.”
There was one serial killer Monroe felt “very badly” for – Aileen Wuornos. She was convicted of murdering six men working as a prostitute along highways in central Florida. She was executed in 2002 at age 46.
Aileen Wuornos is shown in this undated photograph from the Florida Department of Corrections. Wournos was executed by lethal injection on Oct. 9, 2002, in Florida for murdering six men when she was a prostitute. (Florida DOC)
“If you look at her history, in my opinion, she didn’t have a chance,” Monroe said. “From the day she was born, her mother gave her up in a card game. Then she was molested [by an adult]. She went to live in a variety of foster homes. After she was apprehended, she claimed she was either molested or assaulted at these foster homes.”
“She had, from her perspective, a really good reason not to like men,” Monroe continued. “I think it would have been outstanding if she had grown up to have morals and be on the spectrum of normal. But when talking about a bad childhood, she had one of the worst that I’ve studied.”
Monroe also studied women who fell in love with serial killers. She said they were the greatest mysteries of her career.
At one time, Jana Monroe was the only female agent in the FBI’s Behavioral Sciences Unit at Quantico. She later became the first assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division. (Courtesy of Jana Monroe)
“One of the women we interviewed was an emergency room nurse with a master’s degree,” she said. “She could have easily made her own money and lived on her own… Many of these women stayed with these serial killers. I would have assumed these women would have been really needy and financially dependent. That proved to be inaccurate… They loved these bad boys on steroids. They’re the ones, in my opinion, that should really be studied. How can an emotion be so strong that it overcomes any kind of judgment?”
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Jana Monroe in Quantico. (Courtesy of Jana Monroe)
Monroe hopes her book will shine a light on the cases she studied over the years. A common question people tend to have about serial killers is why.
“The big misconception that still exists is that a serial killer looks a certain way,” Monroe said. “People expect a serial killer to look like Charles Manson – someone with weird eyes. There must be something physically different about them, or they just don’t engage in conversation. But the truth is, serial killers can mask all of that.”
“If you were to run into one at a grocery store, they would have a conversation with you,” she shared. “I think people don’t expect that. They underestimate some of the pretense and social skills they can have… It’s compelling and repulsive at the same time.”
Jana Monroe, right, trained Jodie Foster on how to confront a serial killer. (Courtesy of Jana Monroe)
“Why are people fascinated by serial killers?” Monroe reflected. “Well, it’s like a traffic accident. People don’t want to see others hurt or injured. But at the same time, they can’t stop looking.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Southeast
Louisiana father with ‘heart of gold’ dies after rifle accidentally discharges during hunting trip
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A Louisiana hunting trip turned tragic when a father described as having a “heart of gold” was accidentally shot and killed last month.
Garret Verdun, 45, died when a hunting rifle accidentally discharged as he and his hunting partner were walking to their hunting spots in Lafourche Parish around 4 p.m. on Nov. 29, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) said in a news release.
Verdun’s partner told LDWF the two had just crossed a cattle guard when Verdun passed him the rifle and it went off. The .308-caliber round struck Verdun, killing him before first responders arrived, officials said.
His body was turned over to the Lafourche Parish Coroner’s Office. LDWF is assisting the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office with the investigation.
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Garret Verdun, 45, was remembered as an avid outdoorsman, who always put his family first. (X/ @IiVerdun)
Verdun is survived by his 19-year-old daughter Chloe, his son Ethan, and his fiancée Tiffany Hunter.
Chloe paid tribute to her father on Facebook, writing, “I wish more than anything I wouldn’t be making this post, but I’m so blessed to have shared 19 years with you. I love you forever, Dad, and always will.”
She added: “You will forever be my role model and favorite person. Until we meet again, forever will be your love bug.”
Verdun died during a hunting trip in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, on Nov. 29, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said. (iStock)
An online obituary remembered Verdun as a man with a “heart of gold” who was “ready to lend a hand or offer a comforting word,” noting that “his life, though too short, was rich with deep relationships and a boundless capacity for love.”
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It said his greatest joy came from time spent with his children, fiancée and family.
“Garret was an avid outdoorsman at heart,” the obituary continued. “He was gifted with hands of a craftsman and enjoyed carpentry and building things. Above all else, his family was his passion, always putting them first. He will be missed by all who knew him.”
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries urged hunters to keep firearms unloaded and safeties engaged while traveling to and from their hunting locations. (iStock)
The family asks that those wishing to honor Verdun to donate in his name to the Wounded Warrior Project rather than send flowers.
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LDWF reminded hunters to keep firearms unloaded and safeties engaged while traveling to and from their hunting locations.
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The guilty plea by former Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill may draw questions surrounding Alex Murdaugh’s bid for retrial, but it is unlikely to sway the state’s highest court as it considers whether he deserves a new trial, according to former South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon.
Hill, who oversaw jury management and courtroom logistics during Murdaugh’s 2023 murder trial, pleaded guilty Monday to perjury, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office. She also admitted to showing journalists sealed exhibits, misusing public funds and promoting her book about the trial while in office. A judge sentenced her to three years probation.
Hill’s long-awaited plea comes less than two months before the South Carolina Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in February on Murdaugh’s bid for retrial. His defense team has pointed to Hill’s misconduct as evidence that jury integrity was compromised.
“I do think it will be one of their grounds, and it does have some appeal to the public,” Condon told Fox News Digital. “But from a legal standpoint, I really don’t think it’s the strongest grounds [for a retrial]. In fact, I think it’s their weakest one.”
Former Colleton County Clerk of Court Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill pleaded guilty Monday to showing sealed exhibits from disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial and other charges. (Fox Nation/ Tracy Glantz/The State via AP, Pool)
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Hill became central to Murdaugh’s bid for retrial after several jurors alleged she made improper comments during the trial and took members of the media into the courthouse after hours to review exhibits. The allegation led to an evidentiary hearing before former Chief Justice Jean Toal in January 2024, who questioned all 12 jurors.
“Eleven of the twelve clearly stated under oath that none of this affected their verdict whatsoever. There was one juror called juror Z, and she was very ambivalent. She first said that it did affect her verdict, then later on in her testimony, she said she stuck by her affidavit where she said that the other jurors pressured her into her verdict, which of course happens all the time in a jury situation, which wouldn’t be a grounds for an appeal,” Condon said.
“I think when our Supreme Court hears this, it will not be an effective ground to get a new trial,” he said.
Former Colleton County Clerk of Court Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill smiles after pleading guilty on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in St. Matthews, S.C. Hill pleaded guilty Monday to showing sealed exhibits from Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial and other charges. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
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While Hill’s behavior was “disappointing,” Condon said, the Palmetto State’s law requires that a defendant show either actual prejudice or probable impact on the jury’s decision. Condon argued that Murdaugh’s defense team, led by Dick Harpootlian, couldn’t meet the state’s threshold to guarantee a new trial.
“The judge was right to focus on the fact that there’s no evidence it affected the actual process,” Condon said. “Given her lack of a prior record, what she’s done for the community, and that no jury tampering had any effect on the outcome, I think the probation sentence is appropriate.”
Disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh arrives in court in Beaufort, S.C. on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/James Pollard)
Condon said that he thinks the defense may find more traction in arguing about the trial judge’s decision to allow extensive evidence related to Murdaugh’s financial crimes.
In the six-week 2023 trial, prosecutors spent nearly two weeks presenting testimony on Murdaugh’s financial wrongdoing that was not directly tied to the murder charges but was offered to establish motive.
“One could argue that that was just way too much,” Condon said. “But even on that ground, the record will show that if it rises to a level of concern, the court may end up saying it’s a harmless error or that the defense opened the door.”
Former Colleton County Clerk of Court Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill is sworn in during a court hearing on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in St. Matthews, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
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Condon, who sat through Murdaugh’s murder trial, said that even if a second trial were granted, he still believes the disgraced attorney would be convicted.
“I do think that, from an appellate standpoint, given the Himalayan mountain of evidence against Alex Murdaugh, he is unlikely to receive a new murder trial. At the end of the day, I don’t think Murdaugh gets that new trial. And even if he did, which I doubt, he is going to remain in prison for the rest of his life—either in state or federal custody.”
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Even if Murdaugh were granted a retrial, he would remain incarcerated due to his lengthy state and federal sentences related to his financial crimes. But Condon believes Murdaugh is “highly motivated” to clear the murder conviction, in part because of the stain on his family’s legacy.
“My expectation is that this court is going to affirm these murder verdicts,” he said. “Alex Murdaugh will not only remain in prison, but he’ll remain in prison for being a murderer.”
Alex Murdaugh, convicted of killing his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul, in June 2021, sits during a hearing on a motion for a retrial, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, at the Richland County Judicial Center in Columbia, S.C. (Tracy Glantz/The State via AP, Pool)
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Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 of killing his wife and son and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
In a statement to Fox News, Murdaugh’s defense attorney said: “The guilty plea is not surprising. More importantly, the agency expected to impartially investigate these charges has a vested interest in avoiding any outcome that would question the verdict of the initial Alex Murdaugh murder trial. If Becky admittedly perjured herself in the jury tampering hearing held by Judge Toal, what else could she have lied about?”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Hill’s attorney, Will Lewis, for comment.
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Education has been on my mind a lot lately as I continue my Walk Across America through the gentle hills of North Carolina. Part of why I’m doing this walk is that I have seen how the lowering of education standards over the last 60 years has devastated Black communities, such as the one I live in on the South Side of Chicago. Without a proper education, one cannot go far in life in America. It is my ambition to reverse this insidious and life-sucking trend everywhere in America and when I reached the city of Raleigh I decided to visit two schools that I heard were successful.
The school for the boys is called Iron Academy and the girls’ school is called Academy31. They both sit on the same campus in separate buildings and yet their mission is the same: Raise kids the way God designed for them, strong in faith and ready for life.
When I walked into Iron Academy, the boys looked me in the eye and shook my hand like men. They talked about responsibility like it was normal. I’m so used to stressing responsibility to my own youth that it is sometimes startling when I see it ingrained in a child. All of these kids were regular boys who understood that the purpose of school was to go home each day having learned something of consequence.
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The small classes (15:1 ratio) were led by Christian teachers who actually knew each student’s name. Their mission is to “develop young men of biblical manhood and integrity.” Each student is required to lead an initiative of some sort, and that is core to the program. In addition to the books, there is a heavy emphasis on physical training, public speaking, working with their hands and using Scripture as the guiding foundation.
The results show improvement: grades jump, attitudes straighten and young men start acting like somebody’s counting on them, because somebody is. Every year, Iron Academy publishes outcome data that shows an average 8.7-point IQ increase after the first year of enrollment.
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Then I walked the path across the campus to Academy31. The vibe in the air was different but the strength and conviction were the same. The girls greeted me with quiet confidence. They resembled the Proverbs 31 woman: smart, capable, kind and fearless.
The girls I met who attended Academy31 greeted me with quiet confidence. They resembled the Proverbs 31 woman: smart, capable, kind and fearless. (iStock)
I saw these girls studying Latin, logic and literature right alongside cooking, finances, and how to run a home or a business. They were surrounded by mentors who were the older students discipling the younger ones. The school felt like a house full of sisters who decided the world doesn’t get to tell them who they are — God already did.
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What I loved about these two North Carolina schools was that there was no co-ed chaos, no watering down of standards or behavior to keep everybody comfortable. Boys get to be boys and figure out what it means to strive for biblical manhood without apology.
Girls get to be girls and grow into biblical womanhood without competition. Growth is the key word here. Both the boys and girls are given the time and space to grow into their own selves and that allows their roots to grow strong and firm. And because the schools sit right next to each other, the boys learn to respect the girls and the girls learn to respect the boys — the old-fashioned way that still works.
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I stood there on that campus thinking about the kids back on the South Side. Fatherless boys wandering the block, looking hard because nobody ever showed them how to be strong the right way. Girls raising babies while they’re still babies themselves because nobody taught them their worth. We keep throwing money at programs that treat symptoms and wonder why nothing changes.
This is the answer I’ve been praying for.
We don’t need another government report or celebrity PSA. We need places where boys become men of God and girls become women of God, separate when it helps them grow, together when it teaches them honor.
North Carolina already has the blueprint. Iron Academy and Academy31 are proving it works, one young man and one young woman at a time.
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When I get back to Chicago, Project H.O.O.D. is starting two schools of our own, one for boys and one for girls. Small at first. Biblical from the foundation. No excuses, no shortcuts. We’ll teach reading, writing and arithmetic, but more than that, we’ll teach character, courage and Christ.
Because strong boys and strong girls don’t just happen. Somebody has to build them on purpose.
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