My Experience Attending A Serial Killer Conference

Photo provide by Duquesne University

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In September, I had the amazing opportunity to travel two and half hours from home to attend a conference at Duquesne University located in Pittsburgh PA. To say I was excited to attend this academic conference would be an understatement. This particular conference was focused solely on the topic of… SERIAL KILLERS. During my car ride to Pittsburgh I couldn’t help but think “I’ve been training for this my whole life”. Alright, that’s a bit dramatic but this was first true academic conference and we would be talking about my favorite research topic for three days! The agenda for this conference was set to be a good one with many of the world’s leading experts scheduled to present.

Day one at the Hunting the Hunters conference

The first night of the conference was honestly a little overwhelming. Although I work as a criminal justice professional this was my first actual academic conference of this magnitude. Walking into a ballroom of FBI agents, lead researchers and forensic psychologists can be very intimidating. I was fortunate enough to attend the conference with a college friend who also works within the criminal justice system. Me being who I am, we had arrived over an hour early so we grabbed a cup of coffee, sat in the first row and patiently waited for the opening remarks. The first evening there were only two presenters however, we agreed on the car ride back to my friend’s house that were in for an interesting few days. Below I will list the top 5 notable speakers but it is important to mention that every speaker at this conference gave a fascinating presentation. I was on cloud nine getting to meet and interact with the very people I have followed and read about for years. We were sad to see the conference come to an end on the third day but we were extremely thankful to have attended.

Notable Speakers

Dr. Jerry Clark- Dr. Clark is most recognized from the Netflix documentary series Evil Genius about the Erie Pizza Bomber case. He was the lead FBI agent back in 2003 when the most famous bank robbery of the century occurred. Although he discussed the entire case in detail he really wanted to focus on Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong as a serial killer, because that was in fact what she was.

Dr. Jerry Clark was kind enough to sign my copy of "Pizza Bomber"

Spoiler Alert: There is talk that more episodes of Evil Genius could be coming to Netflix in the future that will focus more on Marjorie Diel-Armstrong

Dr. Katherine Ramsland- Dr. Ramsland is currently a professor at Desales University and has written more than 30 books about the psychology of the criminal mind. She is most notable for her recent book “Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Radar, the BTK KIller”. Dr. Ramsland spent 5 years communicating with Dennis Radar to write through his point of view. She discussed her communications with us along with sharing details and crime scene photos from the BTK case. Radars daughter, Kerri, was scheduled to attend the conference to present with Dr. Ramsland. She currently struggles with anxiety, depression and PTSD. Shortly before the conference she decided it was best for her mental health and her family if she did not attend.

Side Note: I have read this book and highly recommend it for my fellow serial killer researchers. Beware some parts are hard to read and can be very gruesome.

Dr. Henry Lee- This renowned forensic scientist needs no introduction if you are a lover of true crime. Dr. Lee is 82 years and is still working at the top of his field. Dr. Lee discussed new technology and innovation when it comes to crime scene investigation. He also shared cases that he has worked on over the past couple decades.

It was an honor to meet Dr. Henry Lee, he told me how much he loves attending CrimeCon each year.

Kathy Kleiner- Kathy was a survivor of Ted Bundy’s attack in 1978 at the Chi Omega sorority house in Florida. I am not exaggerating when I say there was not a dry eye in the house after Kathy’s presentation. Kathy was able to share details of her attack and discuss how Ted Bundy has impacted her life over the last 40 years. She showed bravery in its strongest form while telling her story and I was honored to have been able to listen.

Ann Burgess- Ann is the real life inspiration for Dr. Wendy Carr on the very popular Netflix series Mindhunter. Ann discussed the differences and similarities between Mindhunter and what actually happened when the Behavioral Science Unit first began. She used a few clips to demonstrate her point both of real life serial killer interviews and those that were portrayed in the show.

Side Note: Everyone was wondering about weather Ann is a lesbian because that ow she is portrayed on the show. The answer to this is NO. This was a small detail that was included at the decision of the show’s writers.

My Opinion

For my first academic conference I have to say this was a very well put together and organized event. I look forward to attending future academic events at Duquesne University and other venues. I was extremely impressed with the variety of speakers they were able to get and that each speaker was engaging and easy to listen to. I had an open to the public ticket therefore I was not receiving continuing education credits. This did not diminish my experience in the slightest and it was a plus that I was able to pay a lesser fee to attend. I am always looking for opportunities such as this to attend and broaden my knowledge. If any of my readers have suggestions for future events please email me with information!

Instagram: @kendalljordan12