When he returned to Santa Cruz, Edmund led the police to all of his disposal sites.
Because of his detailed confessions, his public defender, James Jackson, had no choice but to plead not guilty by insanity. The prosecution’s main witness, Dr. Joel Fort proved that Ed was not insane. He proved that Edmund was obsessed with sex and violence, and that if he was ever released he would kill the same type of women again. He also pointed out that Ed craved attention. This was further demonstrated by Ed himself when he tried to slit his wrists with a ballpoint pen during his trial. The trial lasted three weeks and not one of the defense witnesses could prove Edmund’s insanity. The jury found him guilty of eight counts of first degree murder.
He is currently serving a life sentence at Folsom, a maximum security prison. He has been considered for parole eight times although he himself has said he should never be let out.
Additional Links
