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FROM THE UNABOMBER TO THE SON OF SAM,JOHN DOUGLAS IS THEIR PREDATORWe are fortunate and very proud to have had John E. Douglas serve as the Cold Case Foundation’s first Chairman of the Board. He has served in that role for the last five years and was also one of its founding members. His pioneering spirit, innovative instincts, and investigative prowess is second to none. His efforts on behalf of the foundation have been, and continues to be, vital to our mission and success.
John is truly an inspiration to our entire organization. We take great pride in the role he has played and in the leadership he has shown as our Chairman. We are grateful for his continued friendship and support of Cold Case Foundation. It is with thisspirit of gratitude in mind that we have named him our Chairman Emeritus. |
As we move forward into the next decade, John will continue to participate as an active associate and Investigative Consultant providing his astute and intuitive insights for both investigations and direction to the Cold Case Foundation.
As chief of the FBI’s Investigative Support Unit— the team that tackled the most baffling and senseless of unsolved violent crimes, Douglas is the man who ushered in a new age in behavioral science and criminal profiling.
Douglas is able to think as both predator and prey. He examines a crime scene and creates profiles of the perpetrators, describing their habits and predicting their next moves. He has assisted police throughout the United States and around the world with profiles, investigative techniques and proactive strategies in hunting some of the most notorious and sadistic criminals of our time:
The Trailside Killer in San Francisco, the Atlanta child murderer, the Tylenol poisoner, the man who hunted prostitutes for sport in the woods of Alaska, and Seattle’s Green River killer, the case that nearly ended his own life. Douglas developed the first psychological profile of the Unabomber, but found the FBI wary of his pioneering techniques. His aggressive plan of action was ignored; however, years later his initial profile was confirmed to be more than 85 % accurate.
He has confronted, interviewed, and studied dozens of serial killers and assassins for a landmark study — including Charles Manson, Sirhan Sirhan, Richard Speck, John Wayne Gacy, “Son of Sam” David Berkowitz, and James Earl Ray — to get inside their minds and to understand their motives, motivations and methods.
Ultimately, while his work has helped snare the criminals, he can help build a strategy for interrogating and prosecuting them.
Profiling in His Blood
Once a profiler… always a profiler.
Since his retirement from the FBI, John has remained active as an author, speaker and independent investigator. He has conducted extensive prison interviews with violent predators for various law enforcement agencies and parole boards.
As chief of the FBI’s Investigative Support Unit— the team that tackled the most baffling and senseless of unsolved violent crimes, Douglas is the man who ushered in a new age in behavioral science and criminal profiling.
Douglas is able to think as both predator and prey. He examines a crime scene and creates profiles of the perpetrators, describing their habits and predicting their next moves. He has assisted police throughout the United States and around the world with profiles, investigative techniques and proactive strategies in hunting some of the most notorious and sadistic criminals of our time:
The Trailside Killer in San Francisco, the Atlanta child murderer, the Tylenol poisoner, the man who hunted prostitutes for sport in the woods of Alaska, and Seattle’s Green River killer, the case that nearly ended his own life. Douglas developed the first psychological profile of the Unabomber, but found the FBI wary of his pioneering techniques. His aggressive plan of action was ignored; however, years later his initial profile was confirmed to be more than 85 % accurate.
He has confronted, interviewed, and studied dozens of serial killers and assassins for a landmark study — including Charles Manson, Sirhan Sirhan, Richard Speck, John Wayne Gacy, “Son of Sam” David Berkowitz, and James Earl Ray — to get inside their minds and to understand their motives, motivations and methods.
Ultimately, while his work has helped snare the criminals, he can help build a strategy for interrogating and prosecuting them.
Profiling in His Blood
Once a profiler… always a profiler.
Since his retirement from the FBI, John has remained active as an author, speaker and independent investigator. He has conducted extensive prison interviews with violent predators for various law enforcement agencies and parole boards.
Exoneration Through Investigation
Douglas is also prominently featured in Peter Jackson-Sony Classic Pictures documentary “West of Memphis”, released in theaters December 2012. He was a key member of the defense team whose efforts led to the release of the West Memphis Three
“Without John Douglas’s work on the West Memphis Three case, it is doubtful that three men who were wrongfully imprisoned for eighteen years would now be free.”
- Peter Jackson, Director
- Peter Jackson, Director
As a result of his work in West Memphis, director Peter Jackson engaged him to consult on “The Lovely Bones” and advise actor Stanley Tucci on playing a sadistic predator.
Douglas also conducted a complete analysis of the Meredith Kercher murder case in Perugia, Italy, concluding that Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were completely innocent. The Ramsey, West Memphis Three and Kercher-Knox cases are detailed in Law & Disorder [Kensington Publishing Corp].
Douglas also conducted a complete analysis of the Meredith Kercher murder case in Perugia, Italy, concluding that Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were completely innocent. The Ramsey, West Memphis Three and Kercher-Knox cases are detailed in Law & Disorder [Kensington Publishing Corp].
Author of Justice
In his New York Times national best seller with Mark Olshaker, Mindhunter, Douglas takes a fascinating inside look at some of the most intriguing criminal cases of our time and teaches how to anticipate potential violent behavior before it’s too late. Drawing from his long and extraordinary career, Douglas goes inside the struggle between his elite squad of investigators and a chilling rogue’s gallery of assailants, in a chess match with life-and-death consequences.
Mindhunter is currently under option for a Netflix pilot with director David Fincher.
Journey Into Darkness, is Douglas' second NYT best seller.
Together with former FBI Special Agent, Robert K. Ressler, and Dr. Ann Burgess, Douglas conducted a landmark study of predators, published in book form as Sexual Homicide: Patterns and Motives, and Crime Classification Manual, used by law enforcement professionals throughout the world and currently in its second edition with a third edition in preparation.
He and Olshaker wrote the opening chapter for the first-of-its-kind textbook, Forensic Emergency Medicine, recently revised for the second edition.
Mindhunter is currently under option for a Netflix pilot with director David Fincher.
Journey Into Darkness, is Douglas' second NYT best seller.
Together with former FBI Special Agent, Robert K. Ressler, and Dr. Ann Burgess, Douglas conducted a landmark study of predators, published in book form as Sexual Homicide: Patterns and Motives, and Crime Classification Manual, used by law enforcement professionals throughout the world and currently in its second edition with a third edition in preparation.
He and Olshaker wrote the opening chapter for the first-of-its-kind textbook, Forensic Emergency Medicine, recently revised for the second edition.
Accolades of Accomplishment
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“Douglas knows what all the great crime writers know- that the criminologist must be at least as interesting as the crime. On that score, Douglas fits the profile.
-USA Today “John Douglas is one of the most exciting figures in law enforcement I’ve had the privilege of knowing.” -Patricia Cornwell |
“John Douglas is a brilliant man.
He knows more about serial killers than anybody in the world” -Jonathan Demme, Director Silence of the Lambs “Douglas leaves us shaken, gripped by a quiet grief for the innocent victims and anguished by the human condition.” -Dean Koontz “FBI supersleuth had a big role in Williams trial” -Atlanta Journal and Constitution |