Jason Michael Moss

Jason an American writer on serial killers. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Following the experiences he recounted in his book "The Last Victim," he served internships with the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. While studying at UNLV for his honors thesis, he established relationships with John Wayne Gacy, Richard Ramirez, Henry Lee Lucas, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Charles Manson. He obtained samples of correspondence from and interviews with these men. He researched what would interest his subject the most and then cast himself in the role of disciple, admirer, surrogate, or potential victim. He later said that of all the serial killers he corresponded with, he formed the strongest relationship with John Wayne Gacy. Letters led to regular Sunday morning phone calls, during which Gacy trumpeted his innocence. In "The Last Victim," Moss tells the story of his correspondence and eventual meeting with Gacy shortly before Gacy was executed. According to the viewpoint informing the title of this book, Moss became Gacy's "last victim" after a face to face meeting in prison, in essence 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. A film adaptation of the book, titled "Dear Mr. Gacy," was released in 2010. 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. A 2002 graduate of University of Michigan Law School, he was a practicing criminal defense attorney at the time of his death.