It Was 25 Years Ago

Twenty-five years ago I was working in Westport, Kansas City, Missouri. It was also the 50th Anniversary of the NCAA Men's Division I College Basketball Tournament. As a bar manager it was a big weekend for us.

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Friday night April 1, 1988 was outrageous, especially as the 8th cede University of Kansas Jayhawks made their way to the finals. (A game they would ultimately win on Monday against the University of Oklahoma Sooners.) So after a wild evening of basketball and revelry, the national press woke on April 2, a sunny Sunday morning and asked Kansas City, "So, what's going on today?" Nobody had a clue.

On this sleepy Sunday morning a man escaped confinement from the midtown home of Bob Berdella wearing nothing but a dog collar. That's right, naked but for a dog collar. The young man had been abducted and held by Berdella in his basement.

When it all hit the fan, partial remains of six young men were found on Berdella's property. All had been kidnapped, raped, and murdered. His own words and pictures, along with the testimony of the sole survivor, led to a guilty verdict with a sentence of life imprisonment.

Just to keep this more bizarre, Mr. Berdella had a shop selling occult inspired items at a flea market. The name of the shop was "Bob's Bizarre Bazaar." While originally denied it, some of the meat in Bob's famous Chili came from some of his victims.

No,
I never went to Bob's and I sure never had the chili.

Sure, the local press were all over the story, but did I mention, the national press was in town too? Something about a basketball game? Well, 25 years later the story of Bob Berdella is a passing thought to people from Kansas City and less than that to the people who heard the story waiting for basketball scores. The only people who care anymore are documentary makers and the writers of "Criminal Minds" who are missing a sure bet not retelling that story.

Bob died in prison on October 8, 1992 from a heart attack. He had complained that he wasn't getting his medication. As my sister said, "You just know the guard wasn't in much of a rush." and she's probably right.