Real Crime Stories/Paranormal Hauntings/Conspiracy Theories Book II

Hiding in Plain Sight: Serial Killer Charlie Brandt

Carl "Charlie"Brandt (February 23, 1957 – September 13, 2004) wasan American serial killer. A former resident of Fort Wayne, Indianaand longtime resident of the Florida Keys, Brandt shot his parents onJanuary 3, 1971 when he was 13, killing his pregnant mother. Hisfather survived. He spent one year at a psychiatric hospital beforebeing released, and was never criminally charged. Then 33 years lateron September 13, 2004, Brandt stabbed his wife and niece to death andthen hanged himself in his niece's garage. This incident, Brandt'sefficiency in killing his wife and niece, and his hidden obsessionwith human anatomy led investigators to look into the possibilitythat he had committed other murders since moving to Florida in 1973.The police have linked at least two homicides to Brandt.

Early life

Charlie Brandt was the second child ofHerbert and Ilse Brandt, two German immigrants who originally settledin Texas before moving to Connecticut. Brandt's father worked as alaborer for a division of International Harvester, eventually workinghis way up to draftsman and project engineer. The family movedfrequently and as a result Brandt and his older sister Angelaattended several different schools.

Brandt was regarded as a good student,but was shy and had difficulty adjusting to new surroundings. InSeptember 1968, Herbert was transferred to International Harvester'splant in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The family frequently vacationed inFlorida, where Brandt hunted small game with his father.

1971 murders

On the evening of January 3, 1971,after their family had turned in for the night, Herbert Brandt wasshaving in the parents' bathroom while Ilse, eight months pregnant,was taking a bath. Brandt, then aged 13, walked into the bathroom andshot both parents at point blank range with his father's handgun(which he stole from a dresser). His father survived, but his motherand the unborn child were killed instantly. Brandt then entered hissister Angela's room and attempted to shoot her, but his gun wouldn'tfire.

After a physical struggle, Angelamanaged to calm her brother down by promising him that she would helphim figure out what to do. Angela eventually convinced Brandt to goupstairs to retrieve blankets for their infant sisters, who wereunharmed, before bolting from the house and seeking help fromneighbors. After pursuing his terrified sister outside, Brandtknocked on a neighbor's door, telling her, "I just shot mymom and dad." Herbert later identified his son as hisattacker.

After the shooting, Brandt told Angelathat he couldn't remember what he had done. Angela described herbrother as being in a trance-like state, which broke during theirstruggle. Upon being interviewed by the police, Brandt attributed theshooting to "a combination of things" related toschool, stating that, "Everything sort of snapped in my mind.I felt like I never felt before." Brandt also alluded to anincident that took place a few days before the shooting, near the endof his family's annual Christmas vacation in Florida, in whichHerbert shot and killed their dog while the two were hunting.

Three separate psychiatric evaluationsfailed to determine what triggered the shooting. One of Brandt'spsychiatrists, Ronald Pancner, later recounted, "Basically, Iwas looking for mental illness. And he wasn't showing the signs andsymptoms of serious mental illness, which I thought was what thecourt wanted to know."