This is a guest blog by Gary Jenkins. Synova recently recorded a series of videos with the retired Kansas City Detective about this strange case. See video links below for the four part video series. Don’t forget to check out Gary’s podcast called “Gangland Wire.”
Bob’s Bazaar Bizarre: The Start of a Dark Venture
In 1982, Robert Berdella took a significant step in his business pursuits by renting a booth at the Westport Flea Market in Kansas City. This store, aptly named Bob’s Bazaar Bizarre, specialized in primitive art, jewelry, and antiques. While the business sometimes yielded a decent profit, it often needed to cover Berdella’s expenses. Berdella resorted to stealing or scavenging items to sell at his booth to bridge the financial gap. Additionally, he took in lodgers at his home to generate extra income.
At the flea market, Berdella met Paul Howell, a fellow merchant with a booth adjacent to his own. This connection eventually led Berdella to meet Paul Howell’s younger son, Jerry. Initially, Jerry and his friends mocked Berdella for his overt homosexuality. However, Berdella later claimed that Jerry confided in him, revealing that he and his friends occasionally earned money as male prostitutes.
This relationship with the Howell family would prove to be a pivotal chapter in Berdella’s dark history, marking the beginning of his descent into the horrific crimes that would shock Kansas City and the nation.
By 1984, Berdella’s sadistic tendencies had fully manifested, leading to the capture, torture, and murder of several young men. His actions shocked the nation, revealing a deeply disturbed individual who meticulously planned and executed his darkest fantasies.
April 10, 1985: The Arrival of Robert Sheldon
On a fateful day in April 1985, Robert Sheldon, a former lodger, found himself at Robert Berdella’s doorstep. At just 20 years old, Sheldon asked if he could stay temporarily. Despite paying his rent responsibly, Berdella found Sheldon to be an inconvenience. Unattracted to Sheldon, Berdella nonetheless drugged and held him captive on April 12 after finding him intoxicated at his home. Berdella claimed he had no malice toward Sheldon but saw him as an outlet for his anger and frustration.
Sheldon endured a harrowing three days of captivity in a second-floor bedroom. The tortures included having drain cleaner swabbed in his left eye, needles inserted beneath his fingertips, wrists bound with piano wire to damage his hand nerves permanently, and his ears filled with caulking to impair his hearing. When a workman arrived to perform roof repairs on April 15, Berdella fatally suffocated Sheldon by placing a sack over his head and tightening it with rope. He then dissected Sheldon’s body in the third-floor bathroom.
June 1985: The Tragic Fate of Mark Wallace
A month later, Berdella found Mark Wallace, a casual acquaintance who had previously helped with yard work, seeking shelter in his tool shed during a thunderstorm. Inviting Wallace inside, Berdella offered to inject him with chlorpromazine to calm his tense and depressed state. Wallace accepted, and soon after, Berdella rendered him captive and subjected him to nearly a day of torture, including electrical shocks administered with alligator clips attached to his nipples. According to Berdella, Wallace died from a combination of drugs, gagging, and lack of oxygen on June 23, 1985.
September 1985: The Brutalization of James Ferris
In late September 1985, Berdella received a call from James Ferris, an acquaintance, asking to stay at his home. Berdella agreed, with the intention of kidnapping Ferris. After meeting at a bar, Berdella brought Ferris home, drugged him with tranquilizers hidden in a meal, and tied him to his bed. Over the next 27 hours, Ferris endured relentless torture, including electrical shocks and hypodermic needle acupuncture to his neck and genitals. Ferris eventually succumbed to the brutal assaults, and Berdella noted his death with the slang term “86,” a phrase from his career as a chef meaning to throw something out or stop a project.
June 1986: The Prolonged Agony of Todd Stoops
Todd Stoops, a 23-year-old drug addict and occasional prostitute, had twice lived with Berdella in 1984. After a chance encounter in June 1986, Berdella invited Stoops to his house with an offer of lunch and sex for money. Berdella was physically attracted to Stoops and held him captive for two weeks. During this time, Stoops endured severe torture, including electrical shocks to his eyes and drain cleaner injections to his larynx. On July 1, 1986, Stoops died from septic shock caused by a ruptured anal wall.
Spring 1987: The Captivity of Larry Wayne Pearson
In the spring of 1987, Berdella befriended 20-year-old Larry Wayne Pearson, who shared an interest in witchcraft and wizardry. After bailing Pearson out of jail, Berdella decided to capture him. On June 23, after getting Pearson intoxicated, Berdella moved him to the basement and began torturing him with electrical shocks and breaking his hand bones. Berdella took Pearson to the second floor as a “reward” for his cooperation but remained subjected to ongoing abuse. After six weeks, Pearson bit Berdella’s penis and was subsequently killed and dismembered. He stored Pearson’s head in his freezer before being buried in the backyard.
March 29, 1988: The Final Victim, Christopher Bryson
Christopher Bryson, a 22-year-old male prostitute, was abducted by Berdella on March 29, 1988. Bryson was knocked unconscious, bound, and subjected to repeated abuse, including having ammonia swabbed in his eyes. Over the next few days, Berdella explained that he trusted Bryson and discussed some aspects of his abuse but warned that any mistakes would be fatal.
Bryson’s Escape
By the third day, Bryson convinced Berdella to tie his hands in front rather than above his head and leave a television on. Using matches left within his reach, Bryson burned through his restraints and escaped by jumping from a second-floor window, breaking his foot. He ran towards a meter reader, who led him to safety, and a neighbor called the police immediately.
The horror endured by these victims at the hands of Robert Berdella serves as a chilling reminder of the depths of human depravity. The escape of Christopher Bryson ultimately led to Berdella’s capture, ending his reign of terror.
Conclusion
Robert Berdella’s life and crimes serve as a chilling reminder of the depths of human depravity. His story, marked by early isolation, a turbulent adolescence, and a descent into sadistic violence, underscores the importance of understanding and addressing the factors that can lead to such horrific outcomes. Berdella’s legacy is pain and terror, leaving an indelible mark on Kansas City’s history.
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