Clayton Jessup is an antagonist in The Hunting Party. Clayton Jessup was a Serial Killer who killed many families to play with their corpses, after escaping from the Pit, he would kidnap several people.
He was primarily portrayed by Patrick Brennan.
Biography[]
Origins[]
Clayton Jessup was born in Akron Ohio on November 14, 1982. Jessup grew up in a relatively stable family however, he suffered from a unique form of reactive attachment disorder. This rendered Jessup unable to form emotional bonds with both others, this included his own family. Psychologically, he still craved connections but wanted one that mainly focused on him.
On Jessup’s 16th birthday, he would poison his entire family with carbon monoxide by disabling the exhaust in their boiler. After his family died, Jessup would place them at the dinner table and celebrated his birthday with their corpses. For three day’s Jessup would remain with the corpses playing what he felt was the ideal family. Jessup would then repeat the same cycle. Jessup would stalk a seemingly happy family watching them from outside their houses. While they were asleep Jessup would break into their houses and then disable the exhaust in their boilers filling the place with carbon monoxide, after which he would play with their corpses until moving on to the next.
Jessup’s killing spree was cut to an end when he was arrested. Jessup would be put in an interrogation room and was questioned by a detective on the victims. When the detective asked how he chose one of his victims, the Dwyer family, Jessup told him that he didn’t know. Jessup told the Detective that he saw the family playing on a playground and then followed them home, watched them sleep and then killed them.
He would be tried and convicted for 26 accounts of murder and sentenced to death by lethal injection. While being held Jessup would assault both, fellow inmates and guards.
Jessup would receive the injection on April 22, 2010. However, the execution was just a cover up. Jessup would be sent to a classified government prison called “The Pit” which housed many other serial killers across the United States. In the Pit Jessup was tested on like all the other prisoners for scientific purposes. One researcher took a special interest in Jessup, Dr. Lansing. Dr. Lansing would produce PSA videos from a grant at university of Wyoming. Dr. Lansing would have the videos made in his home which featured three actors: Irene McFadden who played a mother, Walter Quinn who played a father and Michael Brennan who played a boy named Tommy. Dr. Lansing would show the videos to Jessup which he loved. One day Jessup would move to embrace Dr. Lansing, but a guard witnessed this and thinking the worst he would grip his sidearm. This caused Jessup to lose his temper and while he was gripping Dr. Lansing, he would snap his spine which left him paralyzed. After Dr. Lansing got better; he tried to resume his sessions with Jessup but was stop by people who were above him. Following the incident, no one wanted to go near Jessup. Jessup was able to keep watching the videos that Dr. Lansing made, and Jessup spent all his time in his cell watching them.
years later, Jessup would be watching his video as per usual until one day the Pit would explode. Jessup would survive the explosion and then run away from the facility.
The Hunting Party[]
At a gas station in Rawlins, Jessup would steal a car and changed his blue jumpsuit for a more discrete look. This crime caught the attention of a government task force who would soon find out that the guy in the jumpsuit was Jessup.
Jessup had a goal to kidnap the actors from the PSA videos he watched to make them his new ideal family. He would first track done Irene McFadden who was in Kimball, Nebraska. Jessup would break into her house and knocked out her husband. Jessup would then have Irene make him scrambled eggs. Not knowing what else to do; Irene complied with his request. After Irene was finished, she went to give Jessup the scrambled eggs, passing her unconscious husband. When Irene put the scrambled eggs on the table; Jessup would look up to her and called her mom, telling her that the eggs looked perfect just like her. Jessup would then take Irene with him while also taking a shotgun from the house. As Jessup is driving the car with Irene next to him, she would try to persuade Jessup to let her go arguing that her husband is in really bad shape and that she needs to see him. Jessup would tell Irene not to worry as they are going somewhere while he keeps referring to her as mom. Jessup would then stop the car, which scars Irene as she thinks Jessup is going to her hurt. Jessup promised Irene that he is not going to hurt her as he caresses her face. Jessup would put Irene in the trunk of the car, while also tying her with rope and duck taped her mouth. Jessup would also put a soft piece of cloth under her head. Jessup would tell her to take a nap as he will be back and then closes the trunks door. Jessup would then take Walter Quinn out in the open which was witness by a woman who took a picture and called 911.
The secret task force would soon find out about the connection between Irene McFadden and Walter Quinn; they would search for Michael Brennan knowing that he is Jessup’s next target. Michael is now and adult with nasty habits, he would run away from the secret task force thinking they were cops. Michael would get on a roadway and tried to hail at anyone who was willing to give him a ride. Jessup would see Michael and immediately stopped and when Michael saw this he would run towards the car. Jessup would refer to Michael as his brother and asked him if he needed a ride. Michael was a little taken aback by this and his fears only worsened when Jessup got out of the car and steadily approached him. Jessup would forcibly put Michael in the car and while doing so Michael dropped his belongings which were soon found by Bex Henderson. Jessup would take all three of the former actors to the house of his old therapist Dr. Lansing. Jessup asked Dr. Lansing if he could keep them here and Dr. Lansing agreed. Jessup would put Irene, Walter and Michael in Dr. Lansing’s basement. He would tie them up with tape and forced them to reenact the videos that they made years ago.
Bex and her associate Shane Florence would come to Dr. Lansing’s house and asked him questions to help them both understand Jessup better and find out where he was. While Bex was asking Dr. Lansing the questions, Florence would snoop around the house. He would hear voices coming from the basement and went downstairs to look. He would see Irene, Walter and Michael who stopped the reenacting when they saw him. Jessup would sneak behind and put the shotgun he stole at Florence’s head. Jessup would tie up Florence and then did his old trick of tampering with the exhaust in the house boiler while wearing a gas mask. Jessup would leave the basement and when Bex entered the basement Dr. Lansing would lock her inside. Bex would manage to get herself and everybody out and reentered the house. Jessup would grab Dr. Lansing and hugged him extremely tight and started crushing his bones. Bex pointed her gun at Jessup and told him to let Dr. Lansing go. An emotional Jessup would tell Bex, no and stuttered as he told Bex that Dr. Lansing said it would be safe for his family here. He would call Dr. Lansing “bad” as he lied to him all while squeezing Dr. Lansing even harder. Jessup told Bex that now no one loves him. Bex told Jessup that it’s not true as she tells Jessup that Dr. Lansing loves him very much to the point that he thinks of him like a son. Bex tells Jessup that if he hurts Dr. Lansing, he can’t love him anymore. Bex then told Jessup to put Dr. Lansing down, but Jessup says that he can’t as Dr. Lansing must die. Bex tries to argue with Jessup, but it does not seem to work. Right before he can kill Dr. Lansing, another member of the secret task force, Jacob Hassani would shoot Jessup in the leg. Jessup would fall down and let go of Dr. Lansing. Jessup would whimper in pain as Hassani told him to stay down.
It is unknown where Jessup is taken but it is presumed that he will be held in a similar facility.
Personality[]
Clayton Jessup was both mentally disturbed and twisted as he was somebody who grew up in a relatively normal and loving household but because of his mental disorders he was not able to see that. Instead, not only did he kill his own family and then played with their corpses but would also do the same to several other innocent people who were unlucky enough to cross him. Even as an adult Jessup still attempted to do the same thing. He would even act like a child as shown when he holds Dr. Lansing hostage and then after he is shot by Hassani.
Killed Victims[]
Jessup's own family which consisted of his father, mother and brother - poisoned with carbon monoxide after Clayton Jessup disabled the exhaust in their boiler.
Unnamed Caucasian family which consisted of a husband, wife and son - poisoned with carbon monoxide after Clayton Jessup disabled the exhaust in their boiler.
Unnamed Asian family which consisted of a husband, wife and daughter - poisoned with carbon monoxide after Clayton Jessup disabled the exhaust in their boiler.
Unnamed African American family which consisted of a husband, wife and daughter - poisoned with carbon monoxide after Clayton Jessup disabled the exhaust in their boiler.
The Dwyer family which consisted of a husband, wife and two daughters - poisoned with carbon monoxide after Clayton Jessup disabled the exhaust in their boiler.
Ten unknown people - poisoned with carbon monoxide after Clayton Jessup disabled the exhaust in their boilers.
Trivia[]
- Clayton Jessup is the first Pit escapee to be taken in alive.
- He is the only Pit escapee who killed his own family.
- Standing at a height of 6'5 Jessup is one of the tallest Pit escapees known.