The Killings
Rod Ferrell Infamously known as the Vampire murderer was born March 28,1980.
He would become forever linked to one of the most brutal double murders in American history.
On November 25, 1996, Rod killed his friend Heather Wendorf's parents. Rod led a group of his friends known as the "Vampire Clan" in a role playing game called Vampire:the masquerade.
Unfortunately, Ferrell crossed the line between fantasy and non-fiction in a dramatic way that day.Turning his vampire obsession into a deadly and horrific reality homicide.
Back Story
Naoma Queen and Richard Wendorf, parents of one of the members of Rod Ferrell's "Vampire clan" were found beaten brutally to death in their home the week of Thanksgiving 1996. Ferrell would later say the clan had nothing to do with the murders, that he acted with only one accomplice his friend Scott Anderson.
Originally sentenced to die for his crime, Rod Ferrell was the youngest person on death row in the US at the time. What made Ferrell kill is still debated to this day. His sentence was later commuted to life without parole. Some say he was driven by love or rather a tragic obsession for the victim's daughter Heather, others blame the role playing Ferrell had done.I myself believe the murders were the product of a mind that either couldn't or chose not to separate fantasy and reality.
While I have focused on addressing the crime let us not forget that there were victims. Rod Ferrell made a decision one tragic thanksgiving week that would have repercussions years after the fact. The worst tragedy is it may have been preventable if someone was there to keep Ferrell's warped mind in check. It is widely believed however that the people with which Ferrell surrounded himself lived in as much a fantasy world as he did, thereby nurturing his fantasies when and why his break from reality came is unclear though still tragically evident.
Conclusion
Before we go blaming the Vampire role-playing game, let me note that there are many role-players nationally and worldwide that use it as a healthy social activity to exercise their vampire Fantasies It cannot be blamed for this tragedy of 1996. Ferrell's crime was not in the role-playing, but rather his personal decision to turn his fantasies to reality.
