Crime Library: Criminal Minds and Methods

Driven to Kill

Page 3

Between masturbatory fantasies and napping in the nude, Dodd spent much of that evening preparing a photo album, which he labeled, "P-1." It was to fit neatly into his scheme of things, and would eventually become as intimate a souvenir as his diary. He wrote instructions on one of the pages that the following key to the picture sections would apply when it was finished:

"P-photos by other photographers, old and new, some 'art.'"

"C-photos of children I see nude, or get them to pose for me, but I have no sex contact with."

"V-photos of children in a more than once (sexual molestation) relationship, whom I trust to keep quiet. Some of these photos may have me in them also."

"M-photos of children who I forced, or they cooperated, either way ending in M(urder)."

Interestingly, but without benefit of an explanation, several of the "art" photos that Dodd placed into his album were of religious art works that depicted, for example, Mary, Joseph, and the Christ child; the birth of Christ; Virgin and Child; and so forth. He placed behind these religious photos a number of other "art" photographs of nude children. Surprisingly, these photos were not pornographic, at least not to anyone with normal sexual orientation. But the photos that he had cut out from a number of commercially published photography books were very pornographic to Dodd and others like him. To a pedophile, even advertisements that depict children modeling underwear would be pornographic.

With the "P" section of photographs now arranged to his liking, Dodd made an entry into his diary in which he wrote that he hoped to begin using video equipment and a Polaroid camera to photograph his child victims of "certain cases" within four months, or whenever he obtained enough money to purchase the necessary equipment. Satisfied that his photo book was now ready for the remaining "C," "V," and "M," sections, he placed it along with his diary inside a briefcase, which he slid underneath his bed for safekeeping. He masturbated again and dozed off, but was awakened an hour later by his need for further sexual release. He did not get much sleep that night.

The next morning, Sunday, September 3, after hastily drinking a cup of coffee to revive him from the virtually sleepless night he'd endured, Dodd returned to David Douglas Park where he intended to spend up to five hours to obtain what he so desperately wanted. While he sat and watched, lying in wait like the predator that he was, he again considered whether he would rape and murder his victims at the site or kidnap them and take them to his apartment where he could commit his vile acts and take as much time as he wanted with far less fear of discovery.

"If I can get it home," he had written in his diary prior to leaving, referring to his as yet unfound victim as an object rather than as a person as most serial killers do, "I'll have more time for various types of rape, rather than just one quickie before (the) murder."

He finally decided that he would have to make his choices dependent upon the circumstances at hand on any given day. If a boy was cooperative, he concluded, he might very well take him back to the apartment where he could enjoy him at his leisure. On the other hand, if it became clear that the intended victim was not going to cooperate, he would just have to rape and kill him on the spot as quickly as possible and then get out of there, fast.

Westley Allan Dodd's car
Westley Allan Dodd's car

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