Jason Moss

Jason Moss (February 3, 1975 - June 6, 2006) was an American writer on serial killers. He was born in Bethpage, N.Y, and at the time of his death he was married to Charlotte Moss.

Jason graduated summa cum laude from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Since the experiences he recounts in his book, he has served internships with the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

While studying at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, for his honors thesis, he established relationships with such killers as Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer and Henry Lee Lucas. He obtained samples of correspondence from and interviews with these men. Jason researched what would interest his subject the most and then cast himself in the role of disciple, admirer, surrogate, or potential victim.

It was with 33-time killer John Wayne Gacy, the "Killer Clown", that Jason forged the strongest relationship. Letters led to regular Sunday morning phone calls, during which Gacy trumpeted his innocence even as he gives Jason a guided tour of his world. In his book "The Last Victim" Moss tells the story of his correspondence and eventual live meeting with Gacy shortly before Gacy was executed. According to the viewpoint informing the title of this book, Moss became Gacys'"last victim" after meeting face to face with the killer clown, in the sense of being overpowered by the mind of the serial killer. Moss felt that this misadventure allowed him to understand how a killer's mind works in not only controlling the vulnerable but also in terms of how to break them.

Some fellow correspondents of serial killers have questioned Moss' ethics in pretending to be controlled and nearly seduced by Gacy to gain access to him, while others have questioned the veracity of many of his claims, largely based on their perception of the habits of the killers they claim to correspond with.

Jason Moss committed suicide in his Henderson, Nevada home on the morning June 6, 2006. He was 2002 graduate of University of Michigan Law School. At the time of his death, he was a practicing criminal defense attorney.

External links

* [http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/psychology/s_k_groupies/9.html Crimelibrary chapter on Jason Moss]
* [http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jun-13-Tue-2006/news/7920651.html Las Vegas Review Journal article on Moss' suicide]
* [http://www.reviewjournal.com/obituaries/individual_display.jsp?obitID=994712667 Obituary]