The Jury Room: Ed Kemper's favorite bar

This is the bar where serial killer Ed Kemper liked to hang out.

It is called the Jury Room, and it is situated at 712 Ocean Street in Santa Cruz, California.

During the 1970s, it was a popular spot for police officers, prosecutors, and other law enforcement personnel.

Kemper, who lived in the nearby town of Aptos, spent a considerable amount of his free time here.

He wanted to become a state trooper after he was released from Atascadero State Hospital for killing his grandparents in 1964. However, he was rejected because he was 6 feet 9 inches tall.

Despite this rejection, he continued to visit "the Jury Room" and drink beer with off-duty policemen, many of whom viewed him as a friendly nuisance.

Following Kemper's arrest, fellow patrons were shocked to learn that the man they called "Big Ed" was actually "the Coed Killer"—a serial killer who had brutally murdered six young college students over the course of nine months.

Later, it was revealed that Kemper had actively discussed the case with a number of police officers and that he had been using the bar to stay up to date on the investigation.

Ten years after his arrest, he spoke about the bar during an interview:

"I'd buy them a beer. They'd buy me a beer. [These were] casual relationships. I was poking around a little bit, trying to find some things out. I knew that they wouldn't be privy to hot information, but there were some things that were bothering me, like was there any speculation on how they were dying? I was a friendly nuisance. I got in the way, and it was deliberate. Again, friendly nuisances are dismissed."

Further information is available in the "Photos" section below.

Photos

Photos of the bar and other related images.

712 Ocean Street

This Google Street View image was captured in April of 2021.

The bar is situated at 712 Ocean Street, which is just across the street from the Santa Cruz Courthouse.

Notably, the Jury Room doesn't attempt to sweep its ties with Kemper under the rug. Nor does it go out of its way to advertise them.

On one of the walls, there is a nondescript sign that quietly acknowledges the time he spent there.

Bar

The Google Street View image above was taken in July of 2017.

Inside

Image source: Judy A.

These photographs show the inside of the bar.