True Crime Lecture Series: Jim Fitzgerald

Jim “Fitz” Fitzgerald, author of A Journey to the Center of the Mind, gained international recognition for his profiling and forensic linguistics expertise in the high-profile hunt for domestic terrorist Ted Kaczynski, a.k.a the Unabomber. He was also involved in the murder investigation of JonBenet Ramsey as well as the D.C. Sniper case and the postal anthrax terror attacks. Fitzgerald’s work as an FBI profiler and forensic linguistics expert on the 17-year case of the Unabomber was featured in the Discovery Channel’s mini-series Manhunt: Unabomber, which aired in August of 2017.

Fitzgerald retired as an FBI supervisory special agent in 2007 remains active in both profiling and linguistics through his own consulting company, James R. Fitzgerald Associates, LLC. He was one of several renowned experts on CBS television’s September 2016 documentary series The Case of: Jon Benet Ramsey and was also a featured expert on Oxygen Network’s The Case of: Caylee Anthony. He was one of two technical advisers for CBS-TV’s Criminal Minds and Fox TV’s Sleepy Hollow. Fitzgerald was also executive producer and co-host of A & E’s Killer Profile. He is currently working on the completion of his 4-part memoir, A Journey to the Center of the Mind, which covers his early law enforcement career through his 20 years of service with the FBI. Book IV, the final book of the series, is scheduled for publication in 2020.

Fitzgerald is an adjunct professor at both Hofstra University in New York and Richard Stockton University in New Jersey. He also lectures at universities and other institutions nationally and internationally. He received his undergraduate degree in Law Enforcement and Corrections from Penn State University. He holds a Master of Science degree in Human Organizational Science from Villanova University, and a Master of Science degree in Linguistics from Georgetown University.