The Last Victim (32 page)

Jason’s account also warns of the extent to which some incarcerated serial killers are still quite active orchestrating mayhem and murder. Each enjoys a devout cult following. Take, for example, Charles Manson, a killer who commands dozens of Web pages and was not the least disappointed his parole was recently denied, since he is so busy anyway with computer communications. Manson, of course, is notorious for his ability to get people on the outside to do his bidding, even to attempt assassination of the president. Others, like Richard Ramirez, have whole networks devoted to furthering their Satanic goals. Since the events described in this story were completed, Ramirez continues to press Jason to serve as a lieutenant in his organization.

It is disturbing to discover as well how many famous killers are kings of their prison domain, sitting at the head of a royal court of petitioners, each begging for their time. The coin of the realm is souvenirs. The killers sell their childlike artwork for hundreds of dollars, garnering even more for signed letters. If all you want is access, you still have to pay a fee—pornographic magazine subscriptions, contributions to defense funds, perhaps a little favor or two.

As long as incarcerated killers receive notoriety for their predatory acts, they’ll continue to draw lost souls into their kingdoms. For as has been pointed out, people want to get close to things they fear. Fans send “serial killer superstars” not only money but adulation. Women send naked pictures and offers of matrimony. Journalists wait in line for the privilege of conducting an interview. Book and film accounts of killers’ lives attract huge audiences. Just like Jason, people want to reach into the darkness without fully understanding the consequences.

In the end,
The Last Victim
is not only the tale of a young man who wandered down a dangerous path and then regained his bearings, it is a parable of what happens in a culture that glorifies violence, denies its fascination, and then makes celebrities out of killers. The message society has come increasingly to accept is that fame is value-neutral. “There can be no bad fame” is the mantra of the airwaves, which is a chilling thought indeed.