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Dr. Ann C. Wolbert Burgess (born October 2, 1936) is an American researcher and Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist whose work has focused on victims of trauma and abuse, and is author of ''A Killer by Design: Murderers, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind''. She is a
professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...
at the William F. Connell School of Nursing at
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...
and Professor Emerita at the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
School of Nursing. She received her Master's degree from the University of Maryland and her Doctorate from Boston University.


Early life and education

Burgess was born and grew up in Newton, Massachusetts. As a young woman, she said the only career choices for women at that time were to become a nurse, a secretary, or a teacher. She eventually got her nursing degree at
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
. Burgess received a
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
from
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
, a
Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...
from the
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
, and a
Doctor of Nursing Science The Doctor of Nursing Science (D.N.S. or D.N.Sc.) is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world as a terminal research degree in nursing. The title of this degree varies with the collegiate institution which ...
from Boston University.


Career

Burgess is a doctorally-prepared, board-certified psychiatric clinical nurse specialist. She pioneered assessing and treating trauma in rape victims. She co-founded one of the first hospital-based crisis counseling programs at
Boston City Hospital The Boston City Hospital (1864–1996), in Boston, Massachusetts, was a public hospital located in the South End. It was "intended for the use and comfort of poor patients, to whom medical care will be provided at the expense of the city, and ...
with Boston College sociologist, Lynda Lytle Holmstrom. Together, she and Holmstrom conducted extensive research regarding 1960s rape victims in Boston. She interviewed victims and quantified their experiences. This caught the attention of the FBI. She began to consult for John E. Douglas,
Robert Ressler Robert Kenneth Ressler (February 15, 1937 – May 5, 2013) was an American FBI agent and author. He played a significant role in the psychological profiling of violent offenders in the 1970s and is often credited with coining the term "serial k ...
, and other
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
agents in the
Behavioral Science Unit The Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) is the original name of a unit within the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Training Division at Quantico, Virginia, formed in response to the rise of sexual assault and homicide in the 1970s. The unit was ...
to develop modern psychological profiling for
serial killers A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
. The BSU was interested in doing similar research to Burgess, except with perpetrators rather than victims. Burgess was granted access to the early cassette tapes that were recorded during the first serial killer interviews, such as discussions with
Edmund Kemper Edmund Emil Kemper III (born December 18, 1948) is an American serial killer convicted of murdering seven women and one girl between May 1972 and April 1973. Years earlier, at the age of 15, Kemper had murdered his paternal grandparents. Kemp ...
,
Ted Bundy Theodore Robert Bundy (; November 24, 1946 – January 24, 1989), known colloquially as Ted Bundy, was an American serial killer who kidnapping, abducted, raped and murdered dozens of young women and girls between 1974 and 1978. His ''modus ...
, and
Charles Manson Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) was an American criminal, cult leader, and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some cult members committed a Manson ...
. At first, she questioned working with the FBI, as she had four young children and knew it would take up time from her family. However, the importance of the work is what made her agree: "I was feeling pressured to make the right decision. I mean, I didn't care much about the offenders, they were killers. The biggest motivation from my perspective was helping victims. I focused on that as much as I could," she said in the Hulu
docuseries Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries. Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film. * Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...
"Mastermind:To Think Like A Killer", based on her work. Through interviews and finding patterns among the serial killers, her team was the first to find similar trauma among serial killers.


Jon B. Simonis

Burgess first consulted on the
Jon B. Simonis Jon Barry Simonis, also known as the Ski Mask Rapist, is an American serial rapist who committed crimes in 12 states between 1979 and 1981. He confessed to at least 81 attacks and was sentenced to 21 life terms with an additional 2,690 years in p ...
case. He was known as Louisiana's 'Ski Mask Rapist' and confessed to over 80 rapes nationwide across 12 states. Burgess was sent to Louisiana to interview his victims. When she first arrived alone and introduced herself as a member of the FBI, authorities called the FBI believing she was impersonating an agent due to her being a woman. As she conducted her interviews, Burgess told the women that they were essential to the investigation, as their information could help catch the offender. She said this is what led so many of them to open up to her, as they realized authorities believed their story. Burgess realized the pattern of victims: women who lived a wealthy lifestyle. She surmised he would be driving a flashy car. The profile her team created with her work led police to arrest Simonis. He was sentenced to 18 life terms and 2,406 years in prison.


John Joubert

After a young boy was killed in Nebraska, a member of the BSU gave police a profile for who the killer might be. The profile was incorrect and led to a wrong arrest. After a second young boy was killed, establishing that this was a serial killer, Burgess was officially brought into the profiling room. Burgess profiled him as a white man in his early 20s with a weak build. Evidence pointed to his boy victims trusting him, so Burgess profiled that he may be a teacher, coach, or scout leader. Later, it was confirmed he was an assistant scout master. Burgess also noted that he may be interested in detective magazines, as that was a common pattern with similar serial killers. Joubert's belongings included a detective magazine that was dog eared on a page about a young newspaper boy being abducted. After being found guilty, Joubert was given the death sentence and was executed.


Opal Horton

Burgess was called to interview 8-year-old Opal Horton in Illinois. Horton was riding a bike with her friend, Melissa Ackerman, when a man attempted to abduct them. Horton was able to escape, but Ackerman was brought into the man's car and had not been found. It was imperative they got as much information from Horton as possible. During the interview, Burgess asked Horton to make drawings of the incident, hoping it would make it easier for the child to communicate. The child drew the crime scene and what she was feeling during the time. Police used Horton's description and sketch of the car that was used during the abduction to arrest Brian Dugan.


The Menendez Brothers

Burgess had mainly stepped away from her career by the time she got a call about the Menendez Brothers case. She was asked to serve as an
expert witness An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as ...
by the defense team. The prosecution claimed the brothers killed their parents for money. Burgess did not think this motive made sense, so she flew out to California to meet with them. According to Burgess, the first time she was in the room with a killer was when she first met Erik Menendez. She spent around 50 hours interviewing him. As she did with Opal Horton, Burgess asked Erik to draw the crime. She believed this would make it easier for Erik to discuss as it did not require him to look at her directly. Burgess says Erik drew his father as large and controlling. According to Burgess, many of the sketches Erik drew of him and his father took place in the bedroom, which she thought was an "unusual place". She asked for further information about his father and the bedroom, leading Erik to draw a depiction of incestuous, sexual abuse. "They killed their parents. Absolutely no matter what the circumstances are, that's still wrong. But they certainly were abused. I could sympathize with what they had to put up with. And so I decided to testify for the defense," Burgess said. Fellow agents criticized her. John E. Douglas told her directly she was making the wrong choice. However, she felt compelled by the motive: "To me, it was important in terms of getting the truth out about trauma and abuse." The first trial resulted in a
hung jury A hung jury, also called a deadlocked jury, is a judicial jury that cannot agree upon a verdict after extended deliberation and is unable to reach the required unanimity or supermajority. A hung jury may result in the case being tried again. Thi ...
. During the second trial, Burgess was not allowed to testify because the judge did not allow any expert witnesses who were experts on abuse . "I felt sad for them," said Burgess, "And I still feel that life without the opportunity for parole is wrong. This isn't something they were going to do again. They weren't serial killers." After seeing her impact on the jury during the first trial, Burgess realized the way she could really help victims was by stepping more into the spotlight and by lending her testimony to trials. She began to accept cases that she felt drawn to.


Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

Burgess was tasked with interviewing Andrea Constand as she began her civil lawsuit against
Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...
back in 2005. "She had a job to do. It was to try and pull things from my memory," Constand says. This was difficult, as Constand reports she was drugged by Cosby and was unconscious when assaulted. Besides asking her about the actual event, Burgess asked her about her demeanor before and after the incident. According to Burgess, even if someone was unconscious for most or all of a sexual assault, the body still recounts the trauma and reacts appropriately. The case was settled, but Constand was able to face Cosby again in a criminal case during the
MeToo movement #MeToo is a social movement and Consciousness raising, awareness campaign against sexual abuse, sexual harassment and rape culture, in which women publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was init ...
as more women came out with similar stories.


Impact

Overall, Burgess was integral in the development and expansion of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit. Burgess published books and findings so that behavioral science could be utilized by law enforcement. Even in her late 80s, Burgess continues to teach and work on different cases. She's currently conducting a study on missing and murdered Indigenous women.


Personal life

Burgess has 2 sons and 2 daughters with her husband, Allen. She has experience with aviation and flying planes. She has a granddaughter, Alex, with whom she provides assistance in collecting data on mass shooter manifestos.


Awards

She has received multiple awards and distinctions including being named a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) in October 2016, and receiving the inaugural Ann Burgess Forensic Nursing Award by the International Association of Forensic Nurses in 2009,
Sigma Theta Tau The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing () is the second-largest nursing organization in the world with approximately 135,000 active members. History In 1922 six Indiana University students at the Indiana University Training S ...
International Audrey Hepburn Award, the AmErikan Nurses Association Hildegard Peplau Award, and the Sigma Theta Tau International Episteme Laureate Award. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Boston University, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from University of Maryland, and a Doctor of Nursing Science (DNSc) from Boston University.


Selected bibliography

The following is a partial list of Burgess's publications.


Books

* * * *


Influence

Burgess has been attributed as the inspiration for the character Dr. Wendy Carr, a psychological consultant for the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit in Netflix's TV series '' Mindhunter.'' Several liberties were taken with the character of Dr. Carr. In an interview with Newsweek, she commented on Carr's character, stating that she emulated several aspects of Burgess' life correctly, aside from Carr's career in psychology as opposed to Burgess' in nursing. When asked why her profession was changed, Burgess said, "I think they felt they had to give this Wendy Carr an occupation or profession that people would understand, and they didn't understand nursing." Burgess also said that, though Carr's character is a lesbian, Burgess is not. In 2024,
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
released a three-part docu-series about Burgess and her work titled '' Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer.''


Notes


References


Sources


Burgess named AAN Living Legend - Connell School of Nursing - Boston College

Professor Ann Burgess is the Mind Behind the Mindhunter


*Abduction of Opal Horton and Melissa Ackerman
Youtube Video at the Unseen channel. Title: This Is Why Cops Should Listen To Kids


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burgess, Ann 1936 births Living people American women academics American women nurses Boston University School of Nursing alumni University System of Maryland alumni Boston College faculty 21st-century American women Members of the National Academy of Medicine