Jason Moss - Biography

Jason Michael Moss (February 3, 1975 – June 6, 2006) was an American attorney and author of a book about serial killers.

Personal life

Moss was born in Bethpage, New York. At the time of his death he was married to Charlotte Moss. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Following the experiences recounted in his book The Last Victim, he served internships with the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. He was a 2002 graduate of University of Michigan Law School. At the time of his death, he was a practicing criminal defense attorney.

The Last Victim

While studying at UNLV for his honors thesis Moss established relationships with John Wayne Gacy, Richard Ramirez, Henry Lee Lucas, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Charles Manson. He did so by researching what would appeal to his subjects the most and then casting himself in the role of disciple, admirer, surrogate, or potential victim, as necessary.

Moss later said that he formed the strongest relationship with Gacy. Letters led to regular Sunday morning phone calls during which Gacy proclaimed his innocence. In The Last Victim Moss tells the story of his correspondence and eventual meeting with Gacy, shortly before Gacy was executed. As implied in the book's title, Moss asserted that he became Gacy's "last victim" after their face-to-face meeting; he was overpowered, he said, by the mind of the serial killer. Moss felt that this experience allowed him to understand how a serial killer's mind works in not only controlling the vulnerable but also in terms of how to break them.

A film adaptation of the book, Dear Mr. Gacy, was released in 2010.

Criticism

Other correspondents with serial killers have questioned Moss' ethics in pretending to be controlled and 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 with whom they correspond.

Death

Jason Moss died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in his Henderson, Nevada home on the morning of June 6, 2006. The significance, if any, of his chosen suicide date (6/6/06) has been a matter of debate and speculation; Moss reportedly delved "heavily into Satanic stuff" while writing his book.

External links

• Crimelibrary chapter on Jason Moss
• Las Vegas Review Journal article on Moss' suicide
• Obituary
• Book Review on Google
• Dear Mr. Gacy film (biopic/true-crime thriller) based on Moss' book