Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess | |
---|---|
Born | October 2, 1936 |
Nationality | American |
Education | Boston University (B.S.) University of Maryland (M.S.) Boston University (D.N.Sc.) |
Occupation | Professor at Boston College |
Dr. Ann C. Wolbert Burgess [a] (born October 2, 1936) is an American researcher and Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist whose work has focused on victims of trauma and abuse, and is author of A Killer by Design: Murderers, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind. She is a professor at the William F. Connell School of Nursing at Boston College. She received her Master's degree from the University of Maryland and her Doctorate from Boston University.
Burgess was born and grew up in Newton, Massachusetts. As a young woman, she said the only career choices for women at that time were to become a nurse, a secretary, or a teacher. She eventually got her nursing degree at Boston University. [2] Burgess received a Bachelor of Science from Boston University, a Master of Science from the University of Maryland, and a Doctor of Nursing Science from Boston University. [3]
Burgess is a doctorally-prepared, board-certified psychiatric clinical nurse specialist.
She pioneered assessing and treating trauma in rape victims. She co-founded one of the first hospital-based crisis counseling programs at Boston City Hospital with Boston College sociologist, Lynda Lytle Holmstrom. Together, she and Holmstrom conducted extensive research regarding 1960s rape victims in Boston. [2] She interviewed victims and quantified their experiences. This caught the attention of the FBI. She began to consult for John E. Douglas, Robert Ressler, and other FBI agents in the Behavioral Science Unit to develop modern psychological profiling for serial killers. [4] [5] The BSU was interested in doing similar research to Burgess, except with perpetrators rather than victims. Burgess was granted access to the early cassette tapes that were recorded during the first serial killer interviews, such as discussions with Edmund Kemper, Ted Bundy, and Charles Manson. [6] At first, she questioned working with the FBI, as she had four young children and knew it would take up time from her family. However, the importance of the work is what made her agree: "I was feeling pressured to make the right decision. I mean, I didn't care much about the offenders, they were killers. The biggest motivation from my perspective was helping victims. I focused on that as much as I could," she said in the Hulu docuseries "Mastermind:To Think Like A Killer", based on her work. [6] Through interviews and finding patterns among the serial killers, her team was the first to find similar trauma among serial killers. [2]
Burgess first consulted on the Jon B. Simonis case. He was known as Louisiana's 'Ski Mask Rapist' and confessed to over 80 rapes nationwide across 12 states. [7] Burgess was sent to Louisiana to interview his victims. When she first arrived alone and introduced herself as a member of the FBI, authorities called the FBI believing she was impersonating an agent due to her being a woman. As she conducted her interviews, Burgess told the women that they were essential to the investigation, as their information could help catch the offender. She said this is what led so many of them to open up to her, as they realized authorities believed their story. Burgess realized the pattern of victims: women who lived a wealthy lifestyle. She surmised he would be driving a flashy car. The profile her team created with her work led police to arrest Simonis. [6] He was sentenced to 18 life terms and 2,406 years in prison. [8]
After a young boy was killed in Nebraska, a member of the BSU gave police a profile for who the killer might be. The profile was incorrect and led to a wrong arrest. After a second young boy was killed, establishing that this was a serial killer, Burgess was officially brought into the profiling room. Burgess profiled him as a white man in his early 20s with a weak build. Evidence pointed to his boy victims trusting him, so Burgess profiled that he may be a teacher, coach, or scout leader. Later, it was confirmed he was an assistant scout master. Burgess also noted that he may be interested in detective magazines, as that was a common pattern with similar serial killers. Joubert's belongings included a detective magazine that was dog eared on a page about a young newspaper boy being abducted. [6] After being found guilty, Joubert was given the death sentence and was executed. [9]
Burgess was called to interview 8-year-old Opal Horton in Illinois. Horton was riding a bike with her friend, Melissa Ackerman, when a man attempted to abduct them. Horton was able to escape, but Ackerman was brought into the man's car and had not been found. [10] It was imperative they got as much information from Horton as possible. During the interview, Burgess asked Horton to make drawings of the incident, hoping it would make it easier for the child to communicate. The child drew the crime scene and what she was feeling during the time. Police used Horton's description and sketch of the car that was used during the abduction to arrest Brian Dugan. [6]
Burgess had mainly stepped away from her career by the time she got a call about the Menendez Brothers case. She was asked to serve as an expert witness by the defense team. The prosecution claimed the brothers killed their parents for money. Burgess did not think this motive made sense, so she flew out to California to meet with them. [6]
According to Burgess, the first time she was in the room with a killer was when she first met Erik Menendez. She spent around 50 hours interviewing him. [11] As she did with Opal Horton, Burgess asked Erik to draw the crime. She believed this would make it easier for Erik to discuss as it did not require him to look at her directly. Burgess says Erik drew his father as large and controlling. According to Burgess, many of the sketches Erik drew of him and his father took place in the bedroom, which she thought was an "unusual place". She asked for further information about his father and the bedroom, leading Erik to draw a depiction of incestuous, sexual abuse. "They killed their parents. Absolutely no matter what the circumstances are, that's still wrong. But they certainly were abused. I could sympathize with what they had to put up with. And so I decided to testify for the defense," Burgess said. Fellow agents criticized her. John E. Douglas told her directly she was making the wrong choice. However, she felt compelled by the motive: "To me, it was important in terms of getting the truth out about trauma and abuse." [6]
The first trial resulted in a hung jury. During the second trial, Burgess was not allowed to testify because the judge did not allow any expert witnesses who were experts on abuse. "I felt sad for them," said Burgess, "And I still feel that life without the opportunity for parole is wrong. This isn't something they were going to do again. They weren't serial killers." [6]
After seeing her impact on the jury during the first trial, Burgess realized the way she could really help victims was by stepping more into the spotlight and by lending her testimony to trials. She began to accept cases that she felt drawn to. [6]
Burgess was tasked with interviewing Andrea Constand as she began her civil lawsuit against Bill Cosby back in 2005. "She had a job to do. It was to try and pull things from my memory," Constand says. This was difficult, as Constand reports she was drugged by Cosby and was unconscious when assaulted. Besides asking her about the actual event, Burgess asked her about her demeanor before and after the incident. According to Burgess, even if someone was unconscious for most or all of a sexual assault, the body still recounts the trauma and reacts appropriately. [6] The case was settled, but Constand was able to face Cosby again in a criminal case during the MeToo movement as more women came out with similar stories.
Overall, Burgess was integral in the development and expansion of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit. Burgess published books and findings so that behavioral science could be utilized by law enforcement. Even in her late 80s, Burgess continues to teach and work on different cases. She's currently conducting a study on missing and murdered Indigenous women. [6]
Burgess has 2 sons and 2 daughters with her husband, Allen. She has experience with aviation and flying planes.
She has a granddaughter, Alex, with whom she provides assistance in collecting data on mass shooter manifestos.
She has received multiple awards and distinctions including being named a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) in October 2016, and receiving the inaugural Ann Burgess Forensic Nursing Award by the International Association of Forensic Nurses in 2009, Sigma Theta Tau International Audrey Hepburn Award, the AmErikan Nurses Association Hildegard Peplau Award, and the Sigma Theta Tau International Episteme Laureate Award. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Boston University, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from University of Maryland, and a Doctor of Nursing Science (DNSc) from Boston University.
The following is a partial list of Burgess's publications.
Burgess has been attributed as the inspiration for the character Dr. Wendy Carr, a psychological consultant for the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit in Netflix's TV series Mindhunter. Several liberties were taken with the character of Dr. Carr. In an interview with Newsweek, she commented on Carr's character, stating that she emulated several aspects of Burgess' life correctly, aside from Carr's career in psychology as opposed to Burgess' in nursing. [12] When asked why her profession was changed, Burgess said, "I think they felt they had to give this Wendy Carr an occupation or profession that people would understand, and they didn't understand nursing." Burgess also said that, though Carr's character is a lesbian, Burgess is not.
In 2024, Hulu released a three-part docu-series about Burgess and her work titled Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer.
A serial killer is a person who murders three or more people, with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separate events. Their psychological gratification is the motivation for the killings, and many serial murders involve sexual contact with the victims at different points during the murder process. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) states that the motives of serial killers can include anger, thrill-seeking, financial gain, and attention seeking, and killings may be executed as such. The victims tend to have things in common, such as demographic profile, appearance, gender, or race. As a group, serial killers suffer from a variety of personality disorders. Most are often not adjudicated as insane under the law. Although a serial killer is a distinct classification that differs from that of a mass murderer, spree killer, or contract killer, there are overlaps between them.
The Boston Strangler is the name given to the murderer of 13 women in Greater Boston during the early 1960s. The crimes were attributed to Albert DeSalvo based on his confession, on details revealed in court during a separate case, and DNA evidence linking him to the final victim.
Dennis Lynn Rader, also known as BTK, is an American serial killer who murdered at least ten people in Wichita and Park City, Kansas, between 1974 and 1991. Although he occasionally killed or attempted to kill men and children, Rader typically targeted women. His victims were often bound, sometimes with objects from their homes, and either suffocated with a plastic bag or manually strangled with a ligature. In addition, he stole keepsakes from his female victims, including underwear, driver's licenses, and personal items.
Edmund Emil Kemper III is an American serial killer convicted of murdering seven women and one girl, between May 1972 and April 1973. Years earlier, at the age of 15, Kemper had murdered his paternal grandparents. Kemper was nicknamed the "Co-ed Killer", as most of his non-familial victims were female college students hitchhiking in the vicinity of Santa Cruz County, California. Most of his murders included necrophilia, decapitation, and dismemberment.
Robert Kenneth Ressler was an American FBI agent and author. He played a significant role in the psychological profiling of violent offenders in the 1970s and is often credited with coining the term "serial killer", though the term is a direct translation of the German term Serienmörder coined in 1930 by Berlin investigator Ernst Gennat. After retiring from the FBI, he authored a number of books on serial murders, and often gave lectures on criminology.
My Life Among the Serial Killers: Inside the Minds of the World's Most Notorious Murderers is a book written by Helen Morrison and Harold Goldberg. It presents the cases of ten serial killers, and touches on many more. Morrison spent hundreds of hours in face-to-face interviews, over many years, with several of the subjects. She uses the individual stories to explain and put forth her ideas on what makes a serial killer. The book has received criticism for being factually inaccurate on several topics.
In criminology, a disorganized offender is a type of serial killer classified by unorganized and spontaneous acts of violence. The distinction between "organized" and "disorganized" offenders was drawn by the American criminologist John Douglas and Roy Hazelwood. These profiles were also studied and modified in the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit located in Quantico, Virginia. By classifying these offenders into different categories, the FBI is able to track down offenders by studying their behavior and habits.
John Edward Douglas is an American retired special agent and unit chief in the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
John Joseph Joubert IV was an American serial killer executed in Nebraska. He was convicted of murdering three boys: one in Maine, and two in Nebraska.
Gwendolyn Gail Graham and Catherine May Wood are American serial killers convicted of killing five elderly women in Walker, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, in 1987. They committed their crimes in the Alpine Manor nursing home, where they both worked as nurse's aides.
The FBI method of profiling is a system created by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) used to detect and classify the major personality and behavioral characteristics of an individual based upon analysis of the crime or crimes the person committed.
Rape trauma syndrome (RTS) is the psychological trauma experienced by a rape survivor that includes disruptions to normal physical, emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal behavior. The theory was first described by nurse Ann Wolbert Burgess and sociologist Lynda Lytle Holmstrom in 1974.
Henry Louis Wallace, also known as the “Taco Bell Strangler”, is an American serial killer who killed eleven black women in South Carolina and North Carolina from March 1990 to March 1994. He is currently awaiting execution at Central Prison in Raleigh.
The Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) is the original name of a unit within the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Training Division at Quantico, Virginia, formed in response to the rise of sexual assault and homicide in the 1970s. The unit was usurped by the Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) and renamed the Behavioral Research and Instruction Unit (BRIU) and currently is called the Behavioral Analysis Unit (5) (BAU-5) within the National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC). The BAU-5 currently works on developing research and then using the evidence-based results to provide training and improve consultation in the behavioral sciences—understanding who criminals are, how they think, why they do what they do—for the FBI and law enforcement communities.
William Henry Hance was an American serial killer and soldier who is believed to have murdered four women and molested three in and around military bases before his arrest in 1978. He was convicted of murdering three of them, and not brought to trial on the fourth. He was executed by the state of Georgia in the electric chair.
Forensic nursing is the application of the forensic aspects of healthcare combined with the bio/psycho/social/spiritual education of the registered nurse in the scientific investigation and treatment of trauma and/or death of victims and perpetrators of violence, criminal activity, and traumatic accidents In short, forensic nursing is the care of patients intersecting with the legal system.
Mindhunter is an American psychological crime thriller television series created by Joe Penhall, based on the 1995 true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. The series debuted in 2017 and ran for two seasons. Executive producers included Penhall, Charlize Theron, and David Fincher, the latter of whom served as the series' most frequent director and de facto showrunner, overseeing many of the scriptwriting and production processes. The series stars Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv, and follows the founding of the Behavioral Science Unit in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the late 1970s and the beginning of criminal profiling.
Elizabeth Tracy Mae "Bethe" Wettlaufer is a convicted Canadian serial killer and former registered nurse who confessed to murdering eight senior citizens and attempting to murder six others in southwestern Ontario between 2007 and 2016. With a total of 14 victims either killed or injured by her actions, she is described as one of the worst serial killers in Canadian history.
Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer is a 2024 American documentary series directed and produced by Abby Fuller. It explores the career of Ann Burgess, focusing on her work at the FBI developing means of tracking serial killers and other violent criminals based on her novel research into their behaviors.
Jon Barry Simonis, also known as the Ski Mask Rapist, is an American serial rapist who committed crimes in 12 states between 1979 and 1981. He confessed to at least 81 attacks and was sentenced to 21 life terms with an additional 2,690 years in prison. Investigators believe they could connect him to 130 attacks across the country.