Overview of Jerome Henry Brudos | The Lust Killer - Part 2 (Serial Killer Podcast)
This episode (Serial Killer Podcast, Ep. 267) — hosted by Thomas Roseland Wiborg‑Thune — continues the multi‑part biography of Jerome Henry Brudos. It focuses on his childhood, family dynamics, early fetish development (centered on women’s shoes and undergarments), escalating thefts, revenge fantasies, and the first documented violent sexual assault in which he photographed a terrified victim. The episode also contains sponsor breaks and a content warning for descriptions of sexual violence and abuse.
Key facts & episode context
- Host: Thomas Roseland Wiborg‑Thune. Episode 267; published early January 2026.
- Subject: Jerome Henry Brudos — born 31 January 1939 in Webster, South Dakota.
- Central themes: childhood rejection, developing paraphilias centered on women's footwear/lingerie, secrecy and theft, escalation to violent sexual assault and photographic exploitation.
Childhood and family background
- Parents: mother Eileen (cold, rejecting, conservative; refused heels), father Henry (short, defensive, verbally abusive). Older brother Larry favored by parents.
- The family moved frequently (around 12 times), often to failing farms; settled for periods in Portland, Oregon.
- Eileen’s persistent rejection toward Jerome shaped his early affect: hatred and need for approval from women he couldn’t win over.
- Health and schooling: recurring illnesses (measles, throat infections), multiple surgeries (toes/fingers, leg veins), severe migraines causing temporary blindness and vomiting. He failed second grade despite average/above‑average intelligence on testing; glasses prescribed with little effect.
Formation of the fetish and early sexual development
- Age ~5: discovered glossy women’s high heels in a junkyard, wore them at home; mother burned the shoes and punished him severely. This event became foundational.
- Emotional anchors: three linked traumatic experiences — the shoe incident, a close childhood friend’s death from tuberculosis, and a nurturing neighbor’s chronic illness — fused into persistent psychological associations.
- Education about sex was forbade at home. He observed animal mating but lacked human sexual understanding; nocturnal emissions were his only sexual releases for years.
- Fetish expansion: from shoes to lingerie (bras, panties, girdles, stockings). He stole items from neighbors and clotheslines, accumulated a hidden collection, and used garments during masturbation but could not achieve orgasm with them.
Escalation: thefts, fantasies, and planning
- Repeated thefts of women’s shoes and undergarments from neighbors; he never showed interest in his mother’s clothing specifically.
- Developed elaborate revenge fantasies against women, especially his mother: e.g., digging a hidden tunnel to imprison a girl and force compliance (he lacked a clear understanding of sexual violence but was excited by control and begging).
- Social pattern: women in his life repeatedly “abandoned” him (friend’s death, ill neighbor, teacher distrusting him), reinforcing beliefs that women were unreliable and fuelling rage/power fantasies.
The documented assault: manipulation, restraint, photography
- Target: an 18‑year‑old waitress (named Sarah in the episode). Jerome stole some of her garments and then used an invented-story approach to lure her.
- Modus operandi: He positioned himself as an “inside man” supposedly working with police to recover stolen items. He arranged to have her come to his home while the family was out.
- The assault:
- He surprised her in his bedroom wearing a crude pillowcase mask and brandished a hunting knife.
- He threatened her: “Strip, right now. Take off every goddamn piece of clothing, or I’ll cut you open like a Christmas present.”
- He forced her to undress and photographed her in humiliating poses with a camera and flash. Commands included: “Turn around. Bend over. Look at the camera… Put your hands behind your head.”
- After exhausting the film, he removed the mask, feigned concern, and staged a fake rescue story to explain noises.
- Aftermath: The victim later recognized Jerome immediately but initially remained silent out of fear. The assault gave him a new experience of power and control; photographs became intoxicating and different from his previous fantasies.
Psychological profile & motives (as presented)
- Core drivers: childhood rejection (especially maternal), secrecy and shame about sexual desires, linkage of early traumas to erotic fixation on female garments, and the thrill derived from control, humiliation, and secret acquisition.
- Escalation pattern: fetish thefts → manipulative grooming of a target → staged violent sexual encounter with photographic documentation — reinforcing power and encouraging further offending.
Notable quotes (verbatim from the episode)
- Jerome during the assault: “Strip, right now. Take off every goddamn piece of clothing, or I’ll cut you open like a Christmas present.”
- Commands during the photo session: “Turn around. Bend over. Look at the camera. Now face this way. Put your hands behind your head.”
Victim impact and investigative note
- The victim was traumatized and fearful of reporting because she believed he might return; silence allowed him to avoid immediate detection.
- The episode indicates that Jerome’s public persona (nervous teenage neighbor) masked a deliberate, calculating offender.
Content warnings
- The episode contains descriptions of sexual violence, coercion, humiliation, and abuse. Listener discretion advised.
Takeaways
- Early childhood rejection, secrecy around sexuality, and unresolved trauma can coalesce into paraphilic fixations; in Brudos’s case these evolved into criminal sexual violence.
- His crimes combined manipulation, premeditation, and symbolic rituals (shoes/lingerie), illustrating how fetishistic behavior can escalate when reinforced by power and impunity.
- The episode emphasizes the role of victim fear and silence in allowing offenders to continue offending.
Production notes / next episode
- Part 2 ends after detailing Brudos’s first violent photographic assault. The host teases a continuation: next episode will explore further developments in Brudos’s paraphilia and serial crimes.
- Sponsors and ad reads are interspersed (Acast promotional ads, Wayfair, Smith’s) throughout the episode.