ABINGTON, Pa. — Retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent James Fitzgerald, a 1975 Penn State graduate and former student at Penn State Abington, will speak on campus at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19, in 112 Woodland Building. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Fitzgerald was supervisory special agent with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit and was a key investigator in numerous high-profile cases, including the Unabomber case, where he used pioneering linguistics that played a critical role in finding clues leading to Ted Kaczynski's capture. He was featured in the Discovery Channel series “Manhunt: Unabomber.”
During his 31-year law enforcement career, Fitzgerald successfully investigated numerous homicides, sexual assaults, and other violent crimes as a profiler and forensic linguist, including the cases of JonBenet Ramsey and the 2002 Washington, D.C., sniper.
Fitzgerald appeared as one of the forensic experts on the Oxygen Network’s "The Case of: Caylee Anthony." He was also one of several renowned forensic experts on CBS television’s documentary series "The Case of: Jon Benet Ramsey."
Fitzgerald currently serves as adjunct professor at Hofstra University and Richard Stockton University of New Jersey. He lectures at other schools and institutions both nationally and internationally.
He remains an active criminal profiler and forensic linguist after retiring in 2007 with 20 years with the FBI. Previously Fitzgerald served as a police officer, detective, and sergeant for 11 years at the Bensalem Township Police Department in Pennsylvania.
Fitzgerald has captured his experiences in a series of autobiographies detailing the phases of his career: "A Journey to the Center of the Mind, Book I," "A Journey to the Center of the Mind, Book II: The Police Officer Years," and "A Journey to the Center of the Mind, Book III: The First Ten FBI Years."
Fitzgerald is a 1975 Penn State graduate with a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement and corrections. He holds a master of science degree in human organizational science from Villanova University, and master of science degree in linguistics from Georgetown University.
Register to attend the lecture here. A reception and book signing in the Woodland Building lobby will follow.
About Penn State Abington
Penn State Abington provides an affordable, accessible, and high-impact education resulting in the success of a diverse student body. It is committed to student success through innovative approaches to 21st-century public higher education within a world-class research university. With nearly 4,000 students, Penn State Abington is a residential campus that offers baccalaureate degrees in 19 majors, undergraduate research, the Schreyer honors program, NCAA Division III athletics and more.