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Serial Killers: The Psychosocial Development of Humanity's Worst Offenders

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Theodore “Ted” Bundy has been described as intelligent, handsome, and charming. He used these traits to interact with and gain the trust of his prospective victims. He was a master manipulator and created situations within which his attacks could occur, such as feigning injury by wearing a sling or fake cast. Once in a conducive place, such as his car, he would brutally assault his victim. Ultimately, he raped and murdered numerous women, confessing to 30 murders at the time of his execution. The true number remains unconfirmed to this day.

Mr. Bundy is one of six high-profile serial killers discussed in detail in William Harmening's book, Serial Killers: The Psychosocial Development of Humanity's Worst Offenders . The other killers are David Berkowitz, Charles Manson, Eric Rudolph, Edmund Kemper, and the Zodiac Killer, whose identity remains a mystery. Harmening has a background in law enforcement and psychology and teaches forensic psychology and criminology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He has authored several books, including one dedicated to his theory of criminal behavior: the criminal triad. 1

In Serial Killers , Harmening advances his criminal-triad theory in the first several chapters. The theory focuses on key psychosocial developmental processes that occur between infancy and adolescence. The three components of the triad are attachment in early childhood, moral development as a child, and formation of identity in adolescence. The author advances that, when successful, these processes in combination create an integrated internal deterrence mechanism. When the processes are not successful, the child develops a propensity for deviant behavior.

The author selected interesting and notorious serial killers, such as Mr. Bundy, and provides summaries of their crimes and personal backgrounds. These summaries are one of the strengths of the book. For an introductory text on serial killers, it is useful to have several detailed case examples to engage the reader and highlight commonalities and differences among the cases.

Another strength of the book is Harmening's use of the case examples to “construct a psychosocial profile of [each killer]” and attempt to “pinpoint the various developmental factors that contributed to their eventual criminality” (p v). After discussing each killer's criminal and childhood backgrounds, the author describes the cases in light of his theory. Mr. Bundy's case is illustrative. According to Harmening, Mr. Bundy never knew the identity of his father, lacked the morality that would deter his behavior, and sought to fulfill sexual desires absent internal controls that may deter socially inappropriate behaviors. By reviewing several case examples, the reader is able to gain a better understanding of the triad theory and apply the principles to the facts of the killers' cases.

Although the author identifies psychologists and psychiatrists as among his target audience, the book is probably better suited to those without significant mental health training. The background information about attachment and development is cursory for someone with advanced mental health training. The information may serve as a solid introduction to students or professionals who have not been exposed to these principles.

In addition, mental health professionals may find frustrating some of Harmening's references to mental health terms and diagnoses. By way of illustration, in the Introduction, the author attempts to relieve readers of common misconceptions about serial killers, including that they are psychopaths. In defining psychopath, however, he states that, “by definition, [they] suffer a disconnect from reality …” suggestive of psychosis (p 6). He goes on to say that most serial killers “have been found through psychological evaluations of competency to be completely sane and fully connected to reality” (p 6). The author confuses key terms: psychosis, psychopathy, competency, and insanity. In fact, psychosis and psychopathy are not interchangeable terms, and insanity is not assessed through competency evaluations.

Later in the Introduction, Harmening states that he selected case examples where mental illness was not at issue. He adds that “very few [serial killers] meet even the mental health industry's diagnostic criteria for mental illness” (p 8). In this section, he seems to conflate mental illness with psychosis and insanity. In later chapters, however, he defines in detail various personality disorders (e.g., histrionic and borderline) and states that persons with these disorders may engage in criminal conduct. In the chapter dedicated to David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam killer, Harmening reports that Mr. Berkowitz had a history of recurrent depression and displayed more disruptive behavior when severely depressed after the death of his mother; however, his depression is not discussed further as part of Harmening's formulation for Berkowitz's later crimes or in relation to the triad theory. These inconsistencies in addressing mental illness may be a frustrating distraction for readers in the mental health fields.

The final chapter covers intervention strategies to direct a potential killer away from engaging in criminal acts. It is an effective conclusion to the text, as it reviews intervention points in relation to the author's triad theory. After the chapters on the makings of a serial killer, this chapter is a welcome discussion of the possibility of directing children toward more adaptive behaviors.

Overall, Serial Killers : The Psychosocial Development of Humanity's Worst Offenders is an interesting book best suited as an introductory text for an undergraduate course or for other professionals without advanced mental health training. For the forensic psychiatrist, the book may serve as a useful resource for multiple case examples of serial killers within one text.

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• Simon Fraser Uniersity - Ted Bundy on the "malignant being": An analysis of the justificatory discourse of a serial killer
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Ted Bundy (born November 24, 1946, Burlington , Vermont , U.S.—died January 24, 1989, Starke, Florida) was an American serial killer and rapist, one of the most notorious criminals of the late 20th century.

Bundy had a difficult childhood; he had a strained relationship with his stepfather, and his shyness made him a frequent target of bullying. Later, however, his intelligence and social skills enabled him to enjoy a successful college career, and he developed a series of apparently normal emotional relationships with women. Despite this apparent stability, he sexually assaulted and killed several young women in Washington, Oregon , Colorado , Utah , and Florida between 1974 and 1978. Although he would ultimately confess to 28 murders, some estimated that he was responsible for hundreds of deaths. Following a well-publicized trial, he was sentenced to death in 1979 for the murder of two college students. In the following year he again was sentenced to death, this time for the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl. Bundy was executed in Florida’s electric chair in 1989.

Despite the appalling nature of his crimes, Bundy became something of a celebrity, particularly following his escape from custody in Colorado in 1977. During his trial his charm and intelligence drew significant public attention. His case inspired a series of popular novels and films devoted to serial murder . It also galvanized feminist criminologists, who contended that the popular media had transformed Bundy into a romantic figure.

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The Ted Bundy Case and the Role of Forensic Psychology

The Five-Factor Model (FFM) of Personality is a well-supported model for understanding the major personality traits. It is defined as "a set of five broad trait dimensions or domains, often referred to as the Big Five: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism (sometimes named by its polar opposite, Emotional Stability), and Openness to Experience (sometimes named Intellect)" (Soto & Jackson, 2018). The model is widely used for the purpose of personality analysis. Thomas A. Widiger et al. discussed with admirable depth how personality disorders could be explained within the framework of the FFM (Widiger, Costa, L Gore, & Crego, 2012). This article will discuss the application of the FFM on the famous Ted Bundy case.

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She loved accidents: any mention of an animal run over, a man cut to pieces by a train, was bound to make her rush to the spot. —Émile Zola, La Bête Humaine (1890) The spectacle of the wounded body has always had its lurid attractions. Coverage of serial killings and graphic accounts of brutal murders by various media are part of our “spectacular” culture fascinated by violence and brutality. The television is often the site where private desire and public fantasy meet, and where the fascination regarding dangerous offenders is initiated and nurtured (Knox, 17–18; Lesser). The convening of the public around scenes of violence represents what Mark Seltzer terms the “wound culture,” a lethal space in which the public interest in scars and mutilated and opened bodies constitutes a collective fascination with the unbearable aspects of human life.

Ted Bundy: A Visual Timeline, Introduction

Rob Dielenberg

A neuroscientific model of Ted Bundy is presented.

Francis Tuazon

Journal of Trauma & Dissociation

Andrew Moskowitz

History, Philosophy and Theory of the Life Sciences

Gwen Adshead

Terrance Lichtenwald

n this article the authors focus on psychopathic women who kill. Not all women who kill do so because of mental illness, abuse, or coercion. Some kill because they are antisocial and behaviorally exhibit psychopathic traits. In this article the authors examine some of the misperceptions of female criminality; current research on female psychopathy; and case studies of female psychopathic killers featuring Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy, cesarean section homicide, fraud detection homicide, female kill teams, and a female serial killer. In addition, both the means by which the myths of societal perceptions influence how the criminal justice system operates when encountering these offenders and recommendations for law enforcement and forensic examiners who have to interact with them are addressed. I

Frank S . Perri JD, CPA, CFE

Bucks New University

Brittani J Oldham

Although serial killing was only defined in 1988, there is still more research to be conducted into the causes of this phenomena. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to look into potential causes of serial killing, with emphasis on social, biological and cognitive psychology. A plethora of literature and various case studies of incarcerated serial killers have been used to support or debunk the theories explored. Serial murderer is classified as the murder of 3 or more victims by the same offender, over multiple locations with the presence of a cooling off period (Ressler et al, 1988). Definitional problems with defining serial murder has led to confusion when classifying murder and therefore its causes. Social psychology explores the nurture side of the ‘nature vs nurture’ debate, with emphasis on childhood trauma, re-enactment and self-evaluation. Biological psychology explores the nature side of the debate, with emphasis on chromosomal abnormalities, a biological predisposition for crime and other biological functions. Cognitive psychology explores how brain dysfunctions can lead to serial murder, with emphasis on head injury causing frontal lobe damage. Lastly, personality disorders are explored in relation to social, biological and cognitive psychology and how they link to serial killing. After reviewing the evidence, it is reasonable to suggest that there is not one singular cause of serial killing, rather a variety of social, biological and cognitive factors and that can cause someone to be susceptible or expedite the process of becoming a serial killer.

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“Love Bite Slayer” – Ted Bundy: Through the Papers

Written by Samples

Last Updated on 23rd December 2020

Ted Bundy was an American serial killer who confessed to 30 homicides committed across 7 states in America between 1974 and 1978. Bundy kidnapped, raped and murdered his victims, targeting young women and girls. While evidence was found for some of these cases, the true number of Bundy’s victims remains unknown. 

The recent 2019 movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile starring Zac Efron and Lily Collins brought Ted Bundy’s case back into the media limelight. This portrayal of Ted Bundy’s life captured the unusual and eerie nature of Bundy’s charming personality, focusing on him and his life rather than the brutal crimes he committed. 

While the new film has brought more media attention to Bundy and his case in the present day, it’s interesting to look at newspaper articles about Ted Bundy from the time. We’re in possession of some rare Ted Bundy newspaper articles from the 1970s, and these help us see and understand how ordinary citizens learnt about the mass killer as his case was unfolding. 

Newspaper articles from the time often exposed a sense of non-belief in regard to Bundy’s case. In earlier reports just after his conviction, journalists wrote about Bundy in a questioning manner. Attempting to separate the idea of Americanism from mass murder, the media often suggested that Bundy could only be one person: an All-American, respectable member of society, or a brutally wicked mass killer… 

“Love Bite Serial Killer”

The New York Post, Wednesday, July 25, 1979

This New York Post from 25 July 1979 opens with a headline on the front page, “Love-Bite Killer May Take Grisly Secret To Grave” makes a reference to the tactics Bundy used to lure in his victims.

A conventionally attractive and charming man, Bundy was able to use his looks and personality to attract young girls. Even the newspaper article features a relatively nice photograph of him, and not a typical police mugshot that’s often associated with reports on criminals. 

He was a man that most didn’t believe was capable of committing mass murder, due to his seemingly ‘normal’ personality and appearance. While Bundy admitted to 30 murders before his death, the actual number of girls he killed has not been confirmed. 

He went against the stereotype that there was something obviously ‘criminal’ about a person to make them commit such crimes. Bundy didn’t have a criminal record, he had a college degree and was a friendly man. He was far from appearing like the mass murderers that came before him. The idea that he “may take (his) grisly secret to grave” may be referring to the idea that Bundy might have been likely to get away with his crimes due to his character.

The newspaper article states: “Was he a cold-blooded sex maniac whose trail of victims extended from Washington State to Florida – a modern-day Jack the Ripper who murdered more people than anyone in American history?” showing the journalist’s attempt to work out who Ted Bundy really was. The comparison to Jack the Ripper is interesting; in a similar way to Jack the Ripper, Bundy committed several crimes within a short space of time in different locations. 

The article then reads: “Or was he an All-American, public-spirited student – a victim of police who used him to “solve” sex crimes when no other suspect was handy?” This represents the doubt people felt about whether Bundy was actually responsible for these crimes. The quote implies concern that he may have been framed by the police, questioning whether a man of his spirit and character could be capable of committing these horrific sex crimes.

His All-American and well-spirited personality gave the impression that he might be a victim, being easily blamed for something that he might not have done. Both of these quotes suggest the media didn’t believe he was capable of being both characters. 

The article accentuates Bundy’s previous enrollment in law school, aiming to show his capabilities in society and make awareness of his potential. This paints a horrific killer in a positive manner, making the newspaper reports on Bundy extremely unusual. 

An Unlikely Killer?

Announcing Bundy as a suspect, the New York Post article writes “Law enforcement officials from several states claim Bundy – who dresses in ivy league clothes, flashes a warm smile and never forgets his mother on Mother’s Day – is responsible for a trail of savage sex murders across the country.”

This makes it seem like the New York Post simply didn’t believe the claims about Bundy being a serial killer, by making reference to his positive characteristics. Here, we can see again that Bundy went against the norms of the typical American killer. It was presented like having a warm smile and caring for your mother on Mother’s Day were characteristics making you exempt from being a potential mass murderer. 

Articles about Ted Bundy also make reference to the strange decision of the man to act as his own lawyer at one point in his trial. The reports states “Then Bundy, who acted as his own lawyer during part of the trial, calmly picked up a stack of legal papers and walked from the courtroom – throwing the crowd of spectators a wink and a smile.” 

This unsettling description of Bundy in the courtroom adds to the unusual behavior he had exerted throughout his case. The disconcerting wink and smile hid so many secrets, namely the victims he killed that evidence couldn’t support. 

Appearing calm and confident, Bundy was able to separate himself further from the brutal killer he really was. Even at his own trial, he maintained the charming and smooth attitude that he had carried right through his violent killing spree. 

The relationship between Ted Bundy and newspapers is a fascinating one. The New York Post news report referring to Bundy as “The handsome law school dropout” presents him as a kind of celebrity and a person to be admired. The quote states that he is both attractive and intelligent – two characteristics that aren’t usually used to describe a potential killer. 

Original Ted Bundy Newspaper

Historic Newspapers have this Ted Bundy newspaper (New York Post) for sale at $59.99, from 25 July 1979, meaning you can read the report for yourself in a newspaper from the time. To order this rare edition of the New York Post, please contact [email protected] .

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Home — Essay Samples — Law, Crime & Punishment — Crime — Ted Bundy

Essays on Ted Bundy

What makes a good ted bundy essay topics.

When it comes to writing an essay about Ted Bundy, choosing the right topic is crucial. The topic sets the tone for the entire essay and can make or break the reader's interest. So, What Makes a Good Ted Bundy essay topic? It should be thought-provoking, engaging, and unique. It should also offer a fresh perspective on the notorious serial killer, shedding light on lesser-known aspects of his life and crimes. Here are some recommendations on how to brainstorm and choose an essay topic, what to consider, and What Makes a Good essay topic.

When brainstorming for Ted Bundy essay topics, it's essential to consider the angle from which you want to approach the subject. Do you want to focus on his psychology and motivations? His impact on criminal profiling and law enforcement? His relationships and personal life? Or perhaps his legacy and cultural impact? Considering these angles can help narrow down your topic and ensure that it is both interesting and relevant.

In addition, it's important to consider the availability of credible sources and research material. A good Ted Bundy essay topic should be well-supported by evidence and expert opinions. This ensures that your essay is not only engaging but also informative and educational.

Ultimately, a good Ted Bundy essay topic is one that challenges conventional wisdom and offers a fresh perspective on the subject. It should invite the reader to think critically and consider different aspects of Ted Bundy's life and crimes. By choosing a topic that is thought-provoking and unique, you can ensure that your essay stands out and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

Best Ted Bundy Essay Topics

• The Influence of Ted Bundy on Criminal Profiling
• Ted Bundy's Charisma and Manipulation Tactics
• The Role of Mental Illness in Ted Bundy's Crimes
• Ted Bundy's Impact on the Criminal Justice System
• The Women in Ted Bundy's Life: Victims or Accomplices?
• Ted Bundy's Notorious Prison Escapes
• The Media's Portrayal of Ted Bundy: Hero or Villain?
• Ted Bundy's Childhood and Early Warning Signs
• The Myth of Ted Bundy: Separating Fact from Fiction
• Ted Bundy's Legacy in Popular Culture
• Ted Bundy's Twisted Philosophy of Love and Control
• The Psychology Behind Ted Bundy's Serial Killing Spree
• Ted Bundy's Impact on the Perception of Serial Killers
• The Controversy Surrounding Ted Bundy's Trial and Execution
• Ted Bundy's Influence on True Crime Genre
• The Women Who Survived Ted Bundy's Attacks
• Ted Bundy's Infamous Volkswagen Beetle
• The Law Enforcement's Failure to Capture Ted Bundy
• Ted Bundy's Lasting Impact on Victim Advocacy and Support
• The Unanswered Questions: Ted Bundy's Confessions and Motivations

Ted Bundy essay topics Prompts

• Imagine you are a criminal profiler tasked with analyzing Ted Bundy's behavior and motives. What insights can you offer into his psyche and modus operandi?
• If you could interview one of Ted Bundy's surviving victims, what questions would you ask? How do you think their perspective would shed light on his crimes and personality?
• Write a fictionalized account of Ted Bundy's life from the perspective of a close friend or family member. How would their insights offer a new understanding of his character and actions?
• Consider the impact of Ted Bundy's crimes on the communities where they occurred. How did they affect the public's perception of safety and the criminal justice system?
• If Ted Bundy were alive today, how do you think he would be portrayed in the media and popular culture? Would his notoriety be the same, or has the public's perception of serial killers evolved?

American Serial Killer Ted Bundy

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Differences and Characteristics of Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer

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Ted Bundy: The Notorious Sex Killer

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A Comparison Between Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer

The famous serial killer ted bundy, most notorious serial killers in america, the chilling story of ted bundy, ted bundy motivation.

November 24, 1946 – January 24, 1989

Ted Bundy was an American serial killer who kidnapped, raped, and murdered numerous young women and girls during the 1970s and possibly earlier. He is considered one of the most notorious criminals of the late 20th century.

“Society wants to believe it can identify evil people, or bad or harmful people, but it's not practical. There are no stereotypes.” “I don't feel guilty for anything. I feel sorry for people who feel guilt.” “Try to touch the past. Try to deal with the past. It's not real. It's just a dream.” “We serial killers are your sons, we are your husbands, we are everywhere. And there will be more of your children dead tomorrow.”

Before his crimes reached national coverage, many described Bundy as a nice guy incapable of such deeds. His victims had eerie similarities with his ex-girlfriend in college. Ted Bundy is known to have decapitated at least 12 victims and kept their heads in his apartment for a while. Ted Bundy was found guilty of three murders in Florida and sentenced to death.

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Ted Bundy Research Paper

“Ask a psychopath what love is and he’ll go on and on, but he has never felt it himself…If you catch him lying, he’ll just shift gears and go on as though nothing had happened” (Goleman). Ted Bundy was one of the most famous psychopaths in the history of the country (Nordheimer). People say he was the perfect killer- handsome, intelligent, witty, and charming (Boynton 25). Bundy was the complete opposite of what people thought a serial killer looked like, so his victims did not fear him (“ Ted Bundy ”). Robert Keppel, an expert on serial killers, stated, “He taught us that a serial killer can appear to be absolutely normal, the guy next door (“Serial Killers and Mass Murderers”). At one point he was working for a suicide hotline; a friend …show more content…

He disabled a woman’s car to make her less mobile and more vulnerable, which satisfied his sexual fantasies. The people who knew Ted would never guess for a second that he was living the life of this sex-obsessed criminal. He received good grades, he regularly attended church, and he was active in Boy Scouts (11). Ted Bundy appeared as an average teenager. He graduated from high school in 1965 and won a scholarship to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, but later transferred to the University of Washington, where he met the girl of his dreams. Stephanie Brooks had everything, but he loved her for all the wrong reasons: her looks, her money, and her status. Ted tried to do everything he could to make sure she was pleased with him. He followed her to Stanford University in 1967, but she broke up with him soon after. He left Stanford and returned to the University of Washington with a broken heart. His grades suffered tremendously so he had no choice but to drop out (Serial Killers 15). Throughout the year 1968, Ted became obsessed with winning Stephanie back. He changed his whole outer appearance and was more determined than ever to impress her. Transforming himself into a totally different man, he was becoming someone who Brooks would want. Bundy chose politics as his chosen road towards status; he was active in the Washington State Republican party (Serial Killers 15). Toward the end of 1968, he was unemployed after the Republican

In today’s world, murderers aren’t a surprising thing, as long as they are fictional. Plenty of TV shows and movies have plot lines around murder, but what about real life? As Scott Bonn states in his writing, of the approximate 15,000 murders in the United States, only 1 percent are serial killings, amounting to about 150 victims per year, with between 25 and 50 serial killers active at any given time. There are plenty of statistics on serial killers. 1 in 20 had the same three characteristics as a child: bedwetting, fire setting, and torturing animals. Animal torture is a common indicator that the child will be violent in the future. Also, over 30 percent of murderers use killing as a way for their sexual arousal (Stone). A murderer

Ted Cruz Leadership Style

Ted is currently a republican running as a candidate for president for the Republican Party. In order for him to run for president he has to be born in the united states, needs to have at least 35 or more of age, be a resident of the united states for 14 years, he needs to have world experience and control problems that middle class can relate to. Thats

Ted Bundy Essay example

Throughout history, criminal investigators have encountered different forms of serial killers. One of the many famous serial killers in the twentieth century was Theodore Robert Bundy (Ted Bundy). Ted Bundy was responsible for the Chi Omega killings and many more. When people think of serial killers, they visualize some dirty, crazy, looking individual that would stand out from everybody else. In Ted's case this was different. Ted Bundy was a very smart individual who had attended college at various colleges, studying law and finally receiving his degree in psychology from the University of Washington. He had volunteered for the Republican Party in California for a Governor campaign. His family and friends considered Bundy as

The Creation of a Serial Killer: Nature vs. Nurture Essay

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Ted Bundy is known for charismatic personality, good looks, and charm; he is also known as the most organized murderer to have lived. Bundy would lure woman to his car using a number of excuses; he was handicap or else lost. Because he was so charming women would feel at ease around him and go where he asked. Once at his car, Bundy would grab and restrain the woman. He would then drive to a different location where he would beat and rape the woman until death. Finally he would drive to yet ANOTHER location to dispose of the body. In February 1978, Ted Bundy was finally captured and interviewed. As a child, raised by his grandparents, he showed no signs of previous abuse or neglect. He was raised well and sociable during high school where classmates report that he was well liked. After further analysis, Bundy was presumed to have low activity to his orbital frontal cortex; this is the part of the brain in charge of the conscious, and the “right or wrong” factor. This is not to say that Bundy had a deficiency that prevented him from knowing what he was doing. Just merely a common abnormality that should be noted. Bundy’s case supports the idea that an individual’s makeup can have an effect on their actions.

Eulogy: A Brief Biography Of Ted Bundy

Ted Bundy was an intelligent man who knew how to take advantage of his victims’ vulnerabilities, but just like an addict he became desperate. His demand to feed his psychotic break encouraged him to abduct women sporadically. He would fake an injury and convince his victims into helping him to his car. Then when they had their back towards him, he would knock them out. He would restrain them and sexually assault them. After putting them through misery, he would then strangle his victims to death and enjoy the girls last moments alive. His disposal method included that he hid the corpse of his victims in locations that he could revisit them if he wanted to. When the bodies became of no use to him, he would mutilate them and bury them so that

Compare And Contrast Jeffrey Dahmer And Ted Bundy

Out of all the Infamous killers in the U.S the two well-known killers that I will be researching are Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy. These two murderers share many similarities such as their backgrounds, Crimes, and Motives. Both Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy are serial killers who’ve killed over a dozen people each. They’ve committed crimes including rape, murder, and kidnapping. In this research paper I will be comparing and contrasting the two serial killers.

Ted Bundy: The Mind of a Killer Essay

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Ted Bundy was an American born rapist, a necrophile; a serial killer and a kidnapper who assaulted and murdered several young women during the 1970’s. The criminal kept on denying the charges for more than ten years and later confessed of having committed the thirty homicide crimes in seven different states before his execution (Rule, 2009). Bundy’s handsome and charismatic appearance made it possible for him to easily win the confidence of young women who were always his targets. He broke into the dwellings of his victims at night and bludgeoned them as they slept. He also approached young women in public places where he impersonated as an authority figure or feigned injury on his victim before empowering and assaulting at a

Serial Killer: Theodore Robert Bundy Essay

Ted Bundy attended college at the University of Puget Sound and the University of Washington. During this time, he took on various low-level jobs, such as being a busboy and a shoe clerk. Generally, he did not stay in one position for very long, which caused employers to view him as unreliable. He was always very focused on his studies and grades. In spring of 1967, he entered a life-changing relationship with his “dream woman,” a classmate of his at the University of

The Psychological Theory Of Ted Bundy

Based on the general idea of Ted Bundy’s background, psychological theory can be applied to his cases of murdering. Psychological theories focus on human’s mind and behavior and the assumption is problems are rooted in unconscious mind and symptoms are manifestations of hidden disturbances or conflicts. According to his childhood circumstances, Ted Bundy’s childhood trauma and abuse played an important role in his serial murders. His father disappeared before he was born and his whole started with the loss of parent. Not only he was living without his father, his mother did not take the full responsibility of him neither. Ted’s mother pretended to be his sister and let his grandparents to be their parents. Although Ted Bundy was

Ted Bundy Attachment Theory

Theodore “Ted” Bundy was born in Burlington, Vermont on November 24, 1946, and later executed by the electric chair on January 24, 1989, after being convicted of a serial murder, rapist, and necrophiliac. Bundy brutally murdered and sexually assaulted 30 women but many believe that number to be higher. He would use his charm to lure these women, before engaging in sexual assault and murdering them. Bundy would also revisit some of his victims to again engage in sexual actions until their bodies would decompose. This essay will look at how the impact of Bundy’s disturbed childhood has one of the key factors of his psychotic behavior using attachment theory.

The Murder Of Ted Bundy

Ted Bundys murders took place in the years of 1966-1978. His first victim went by the name of Lonnie Trumball. She was killed in Seattle on June 23, 1966. He began a killing spree around the year 1972. Bundy said he first murder was like a “horrible dream.” Bundys last known victim went by the name Ann Leach. She was believed to be killed on February 9, 1978 in Salt Lake City, Florida. Some people believe that his first victim may have been an eight year old girl from Tacoma. If that was true he would have been fourteen at the age of his first murder, but that statement was not proven true. The majority of his victims were young women who looked like a girl that had ended a long-term relationship with him. Bundy said that when he committed these horrific murders, it felt like being possessed by something awful and alien. Ted Bundy blamed nothing but himself and pornography for his murders.

This research paper will explore the life of a serial killer named Ted Bundy. We will look at the cause and effects of him becoming a serial killer. We will also discuss the different criminology theories behind Ted Bundy’s actions. Based on what was discovered in the research no one theory can explain the action of Ted Bundy as a serial killer. The remainder of the paper is laid out as follows: biography of Ted Bundy, introduction, discussion of crimes and theories, and the conclusion.

Applying Maslow's Five Stage Model: Ted Bundy

He found it difficult to engage with people after breaking up with his girlfriend. This serial killer suffered from Antisocial personality disorder. without any empathy at all, Ted Bundy killed and raped at least 36 people, most of them were college students with brown long hair. Bundy was becoming better on the outside; a murderous rage was building on the inside of him. In other words, Ted’s superficial was charming, engaging, and he was intelligent. He took advantage of people who trusted him because of his appearance. He used double personalities when he was seducing women. The Charming Evil Bundy used to wear a cast on his arm and ask beautiful women to help him with his books to the car, after that he hit them with his crutches and push them into his car. He usually brutally beat, rape, and murder those women without any reason. Ted Bundy was untruthfulness, insincerely, and lacking empathy. Bundy was unable to have an interpersonal relationship because he did not understand the intrapersonal

Antisocial Personality Disorder- Ted Bundy

Ted Bundy is known to be the worst serial killer in U.S. History. In the 1970's, Ted raped and murdered women in at least five different states. Bundy eventually confessed to thirty murders, although the actual total remains unknown. Theodore Robert Bundy was born on November 24th, 1946 in Burlington, Vermont to Eleanor Louise Cowell, a 22 year old single woman. Ted's mom never told him much about his father other than that he was in the armed forces and that they never were really together. Bundy had a difficult childhood and was pretty much an wanted by his mother. After being left in foster care for two months, Eleanor decided to have her parents raise Ted and make him and everyone believe that they were his adopted parents and

Ted Bundy: a Personality Comparison with the Theories Od Rollo May and Albert Bandura

Ted Bundy's life changed forever in the spring of 1967, when he met and fell in love with the woman of his dreams. She was beautiful, sophisticated and from a wealthy family. She was Ted's first love and possibly his first sexual encounter. She liked him a lot, but did not have the same deep feelings towards him. This didn't discourage Ted Bundy since he would ask her to marry him on several occasions. She was very reluctant to make a serious commitment, because she felt that Ted had no future goals or real direction in his life. Ted began to try to impress her by lying and even winning a summer scholarship from Stanford to try to influence her feelings for him. But the mask of

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Ted Bundy Research Paper

Murder is a man’s world, well supposedly. There's an established gender blueprint consisting of the male killer, and the female victim at work in both books and hollywood films. The traditional view has always been that female killers are rare, that those of the “gentler sex” have to be provoked into murder by men. We all have read or watched these works of fiction that star the female serial killers portrayed as sexy femme fatale on a revenge plot while killers like Freddy Krueger, Patrick Bateman and Jason Voorhees are the bloodthirsty knife wielding murderers. While both are just works of pure fiction created for screams and laughs it raises the question; are there any actual differences between a male and female serial killer ? By examining …show more content…

Between Ted Bundy and Nannie Doss there is not much difference between their backgrounds. Both individuals were abused mentally and physically. Ted Bundy however grew up with a natural hate for women which would be a catalyst for his later life. Nannie Doss a.k.a “The Giggling Nanny” born on November 4, 1905 in Blue Mountain, Alabama, grew up with an abusive father that had little respect or regard for her education. Nancy was pulled out of school during the sixth grade to help work on the farm. Nancy was a prisoner in her own home. She wasn't allowed to have friends, wear nice dresses or makeup, and was prohibited to talk to boys. She spent her nights working in the factory and reading romance magazines.(Murderpedia the Encyclopedia of Murderers. 2016). She finally began to have a social life when she got her first job in 1921. Moreover, Ted Bundy, born Theodore Robert Cowell, grew up living a lie. Ted’s mother, Louise Cowell, was single when she gave birth to him and in the 1940’s which was a serious taboo. Ted’s grandparents took their daughter in, telling young Ted that his grandparents were his parents and his mother was his sister. This lie expelled his hate for women. Aside from the debated status of his paternity, Samuel Cowell ,Bundy’s grandfather was considered by many to be a tyrannical bully and a bigot. When describing his violent nature, historians …show more content…

The publication estimates that “80 percent of female serialists have employed poison by itself or with other means" (Geringer, 2). While on the other hand male serial killers tend to be more physical and face to face. It is more common for a male serial killer to shoot, stab, or strangle their victims (Geringer, 2 ).” Nearly all of the people women killed were people they knew, often their own family members. While men kill in order to assert their dominance use weapons of violence whether that be sexaul assault, torture or murder. This is shown in Nannie doss who killed two of her daughters through poisoning their food with arsenic. After her first husband left her, Nancy became obsessed with romance and started the search for her next husband using the personal sections in the local newspaper. She met Frank Harrelson and they got married in 1929. While married to Frank, Nancy's oldest daughter had two children, one in 1943 and one in 1945, both of whom Nancy is accused of killing. Seven months later Frank was dead after Nancy accused him of forcing sex on her. She vowed to get even with him for that and did so by poisoning his liquor bottle with rat poisoning. Nancy got remarried to Arlie Lanning, an alcoholic womanizer. Soon after they got married, Arlie was killed and his house . She got remarried yet again to

Outline Of Theodore Robert Bundy: Serial Killer

He was raised by his grandparents as an adopted son and was told that his mother was his sister. At around 3 years old Ted got an interest in mabre and knives, and

Did Lizzie Borden Murder

Nannie Doss was born in 1905 in Blue Mountain a small town between Anniston and Jacksonville. She is the daughter of Jim Hazle and Louisa “Lou” Holder Hazle. Doss’s biological father may or may not have been very abusive. He would keep Doss and her other four other siblings home from school just to do household chores and to work on the family farm. Doss’s first husband was Charles Braggs.

Theodore "Ted" Bundy was one of the most notorious serial killers of the 20th century. His charm and intelligence made him somewhat of a celebrity during his trial and long after his execution in January of 1989. He was born in the shame of his mother, being told she was his sister when she gave birth out of wedlock. He was fascinated by the dark arts (macabre) as a child and drawn to knives.

Theodore Bundy Research Paper

Theodore Bundy’s life began in turmoil. Bundy’s true lineage

Ted Bundy’s first known murder attempts began in January 1974 when he assaulted and attempted to kill an 18 year old girl in her sleep, she survived. A few weeks later, he broke into the house of another woman who was beat in the head and carried away. She was later found with no head. Within six months, eight more women in Washington had been killed by

Ted Bundy was born November24, 1946 in Burlington, Vermont. Bundy grew up thinking his mother was his sister and his grandparents was his parents. Bundy was executed January 24, 1989 by Florida states penitentiary electric chair. As Bundy grows up he becomes disturbing due to the fact of he liked knives pornographic photos and liked to peep in peoples windows as women were getting undressed. When Bundy was a kid he laid knives all around his aunt as she slept in her bed she woke up and their Bundy was at the end of her bed with a smile on his face and staring at her they took Ted to a psychologist.

John Wayne Gacey Research Paper

Serial killer John Wayne Gacey was one of the most notorious criminals of the 20th century. He was responsible for the murder of 33 young men and boys. What hints of this violent behavior existed in his early life? What experiences may have contributed to the man he ultimately became? In this essay, we will explore Gacey's childhood years to uncover possible factors of influence.

Ted Bundy Ted Bundy was one of the most infamous serial killers of the 1970s. After a not-so-normal childhood, he began raping and killing young women until he was finally captured. Although his exact victim count is still unknown, it is believed that Bundy claimed over one-hundred lives while on his killing spree. Theodore Robert Cowell was born on November 24, 1946 at the Elizabeth Lund Home for Unwed Mothers to Eleanor “Louise” Cowell. Because his mother was young and unwed, and had no idea where Ted’s father was, his grandparents, Samuel and Eleanor Cowell, raised him as if they were his parents and his mother was his sister.

Nannie Doss Research Paper

Then him and Nannie got a divorce and Nannie kept the 2 girls. Braggs said that he left Nannie because he was frightened by her. Then in 1929 Nannie met and married Frank Harrelson, who she met in Jacksonville. He would send her romantic poetry and she sent him a cake. They lived together in Jacksonville with Melvina and Florine Braggs.

Research Paper On Theodore Bundy

In fact, Bundy wasn’t extremely intelligent, and was not a genius, he only had an IQ of about 124, and he was not wildly successful in school, he was an average student who actually failed out of college after being dumped by a girlfriend, though he did return to school at a later date and finish (Michaud & Aynesworth, 2000). Even so, there was something that everyone could agree upon, Theodore Bundy was a deranged sociopath who became famous for murdering all of his victims, he was one of the serial killers to become extremely famous because of his killings, and some would say that he seemed happy to be getting all of the recognition (Michaud & Aynesworth, 2000). With articles written about him titled, “Bundy: The Man, The Myth, The Legend” he had truly become a legend (Caputi, 1989). These are only a few examples of how the media portrayed Bundy and how that caused the public to see and talk about

Aileen Wuornos Attachment Theory

Most sexual offenders are male, and nearly all known serial killers are also male. Aileen Wuornos is one of history’s highest-profile female serial murderers. She was imprisoned and sentenced to death for the murder of six men. During her childhood, Wuornos was exposed to abandonment by her biological parents, seclusion and physical and emotional abuse from her grandparents. The conspicuous lack of attention and communication from her caregivers along with the violent and toxic environment she endured forged a pattern for Aileen’s early-on criminal nature and violent behavior.

Theodore Robert Bundy Research Paper

Theodore Robert Bundy was an American serial killer, kidnapper, rapist, burglar, and necrophile who assaulted and murdered about 50 young women during the 1970s and possibly earlier. Bundy was born in Burlington, Vermont on November 24, 1946, starting life as his mother's secret shame. Eleanor Cowell was 22 years old and unmarried when she had her son Theodore, which humiliated her deeply religious parents. She delivered the child at a home for unwed mothers in Vermont and later brought her son to her parents in Philadelphia. To hide the fact he was an illegitimate child, Bundy was raised as the adopted son of his grandparents and was told that his mother was his sister.

Ted Bundy: Biological, Social And Psychological Theories

Ted’s violent side was thought to be inherited from his grandfather who had allegedly raped and abused Ted’s mother. This lead many to believe that Ted’s grandfather was actually his father. Ted in his early life also believed this, therefore he became a role model for Ted which shows why Ted would eventually carry this violent side in his life. Ted’s biological father was never known. This meant that she dated a string of men and one of these men became her husband and was a major influence on Ted and he lead him to change his name to Ted Bundy.

Essay On Ted Bundy

Ted Bundy committed his first murder in 1974. He killed over 100 women, and those bodies are still not found today. He made it well known that he did love to kill, and his parents were in shock and had no idea that he was capable of this. Ted was imprisoned twice, and escaped both times. The first time, he escaped in Utah Prison by crawling out a small in his jail cell.

Ted Bundy Essay

Theodore Robert Bundy was an American serial killer, kidnapper, rapist, and necrophile who battered and murdered an abundance of young women and girls during the 1970s and earlier. Shortly before his implementation, after more than a decade of disavowals, he confessed to thirty homicides committed in seven states between 1974 and 1978. The true victim count remains unknown, and many believe that it is much higher. Bundy was observed as handsome and charismatic by his young female victims, traits he exploited to win their trust. He typically contacted them in public places, feigning injury or disability, before overshadowing and assaulting them at locations that were more isolated.

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Related topics.

• Serial killer

Ted Bundy Research Paper

This research paper will delve into the life, crimes, and psychological profile of serial killer Ted Bundy. It will examine his background, the nature of his crimes, and the investigation that led to his capture. The piece will explore the impact of Bundy’s case on criminal profiling and forensic science, as well as its lasting effect on public consciousness and the criminal justice system. At PapersOwl, you’ll also come across free essay samples that pertain to Empathy.

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This paper discusses Theodore Robert Cowell, and his display of a lack of social skills and attachment disorder. Along with traumatic experiences and the constant disappearance of his father sparked anti-social personality disorder; which is an inability to show empathy for others. This is a common occurrence with psychopaths and successful serial killers. Using impeccable charm and intelligence ted Bundy would lure victims in rape, murder, and dismember them and keep the body parts for continued sexual pleasure. His charm faired well for him avoiding the authorities for much of the 1970s.

Analyzing Ted Bundy and his tradecraft give police the tools to understand the minds of psychopathic killers even today. This paper, discusses much of Ted Bundy’s life, his Motus Opererondi, tradecraft, and what led him to kill. As well as what made him a psychopath, and the evidence supporting why analysts see Ted Bundy as one of the most notorious serial killers in history.

Ted Bundy formally known as Theodore Robert Cowell was one of the most successful serial killers of the 20th century, throughout his years of murder has confessed to 30 murders but it is suspected that his total number is much greater. Ted Bundy is considered one of the most dangerous serial killers to ever live because of his unique style. Like many serial killers Bundy was abused and suffered from extreme abandonment disorder as well as the evident lack of social skills starting at a young age. Ted Bundy was born on November 24th, 1946 at the Elizabeth Lund home for unwed mothers to his mother Louise. Ted did not know his birth father and to date it still remains unknown however there are several theories tied into the birth of Ted Bundy. Bundy’s birth certificate states a “Lloyd Marshall” however, Louise his mother would later express a story of her seduction by an air force veteran “Jack Worthington ” These stories did not provide enough evidence for Bundy’s adopted family they believed that Louise’s abusive father may have been the ultimate cause of Ted Bundy’s birth; however, this was never proven (Delphine 2012). Bundy’s grandparents became his legal guardians and convinced the young boy that his birth mother was his older sister for much of his young adult life up until he entered high school he believed this was true. In the early years of Bundy’s life, he resided with his grandparents and his “sister” in the city of Philadelphia until 1950 when him and Louise moved to Tacoma, Washington and lived with relatives. Bundy was not given a permissive environment to grow as a young boy. Although his mother was present in his life she did not provide the emotional support needed for a child. After the move to Washington Louise met Johnny Culpepper Bundy and soon after they were married and Johnny Bundy legally became the adopted father of Ted whose name was now Bundy (Crime Museum 2017).

Although it seemed like Ted was becoming a part of a whole family; that wasn’t the case. The family grew with four more young children that Ted would be held responsible for much of the time. Resentment for his stepfather and his siblings grew stronger as he was forced to babysit them and essentially raise them on his own. Although Johnny Bundy attempted to incorporate Ted into father and son activities Ted remained emotional detached and quite resentful towards his father. Ted believed of himself as more of a Cowell not a Bundy and he viewed his family as lesser because of it. It was clear from a young age that Bundy preferred to be alone and did not interact well with other people and this transferred into his time a Woodrow Wilson Highschool. Despite his good grades and his ability to perform academically his social skills were far behind in relation to his fellow classmates at his age. Although he involved himself in extra-curricular activities in and out of school such as Vice President of the “Methodist Youth Fellowship” and an active troop member with the local boy scouts he simply found himself uncomfortable in the presence of other people including his father. This behavior was magnified as Ted aged and throughout his young adult life he felt out of place when conducting any social event. In later interviews he would recall himself as metaphorically “hitting a wall in high-school” (Crime Museum 2017). Comprehending social behavior and how others successfully went about understanding social interaction was extremely difficult for Bundy and his social development was affected drastically because of this lack in understanding. The prefrontal cortex in the frontal lobe of the brain controls social interaction and emotions and with suspected psychopaths this area of the brain has been shown to not develop entirely. “The frontal lobe links and integrates all components of behavior at the highest level. Emotion and social adjustment and impulse control are also localized here” (Brain Injury Alliance Utah 2015).

With a lack in development of this location of the brain social skills and cognitive understanding of emotions such as empathy and sympathy simply do not exist and those that cannot understand these traits fail to learn how imperative they are within the function of society and normal behavior becoming of a human-being. Even as a teenager Bundy displayed behavior that is considered deviant and on its way to criminal. The difference between the two is deviant behavior categorizes itself as unbecoming of a citizen or normal behavior but not criminal and criminal behavior is simply illegal actions such as theft; “Before he was even out of high school Bundy was a compulsive thief, a shoplifter, and on his way to becoming an amateur criminal. To support his love of skiing, Bundy stole skis and equipment and forged ski-lift tickets. He was arrested twice as a juvenile, though these records were later expunged” (Cook 2011). It was evident that Bundy embodied the behavior that was considered definitive if anti-social personality disorder however it was not clear until a few years later in college when his murderous tendencies would begin to surface.

Bundy was disconnected from society on an emotional level, although he achieved good grades and was considered charming deep down he embodied psychopathic behavior with his early obsession of sex and violence in relation to sexual interactions. “Bundy described the part of himself that, from a young age, was fascinated by images of sex and violence as “the entity”, and kept it very well hidden” (Cook 2011). Bundy later would admit that the system of how people functioned, how people sustained relationships, how they embody attraction towards one-another and how people simply lived social lives confused him greatly and he was uncomfortable from a young boy with all social interactions.

This behavior is a major indication for psychopaths. To fully understand Ted Bundy and his psychopathic actions; defining psychopath in comparison to sociopath is essential. Psychopath is defined as “An individual who has a personality disorder, especially one manifested in aggressively antisocial behavior, and who is lacking in empathy, psychopaths are thought to have been born that way” (Schmalleger 2016). Sociopath is defined as “An individual who has a personality disorder especially one manifested in aggressively antisocial behavior, and is lacking in empathy. Also known as secondary psychopaths, sociopaths may have been born normal but personal experiences in early life may have caused them to embody psychopathic characteristics” (Schmalleger 2016). These two definitions are very similar however, there is one major differentiation and that is psychopaths are seen as born evil whereas sociopaths become evil based on experiences. Theories of chemical imbalances in the brain attempt to provide understanding of why psychopaths can function the way they do. This ties back into the prefrontal cortex of the brain and how it is related to the lack of empathy in human personality and how this is typically related to psychopaths. Ted Bundy suffered from anti-social personality disorder which means he had extreme challenges socializing with others and this disconnected separated him from other people his age growing up and this negatively affected his developmental growth. He also lacked empathy for others and did not understand the system of feelings. This is supported by reports of violent actions conducted by Ted’s grandfather such as twirling the family cat around by its tail and repeatedly beating the dog “This early behavior in Ted’s life may have influenced the learning, enforcing violence to animals and people around him as acceptable. Occasionally exhibiting disturbing behavior, his grandmother once woke up surrounded by kitchen knives, to see the three year old Ted smiling up at her” (Delphine 2012). Although experiences may have shown young Bundy this behavior was condoned his tendencies were within him long before that these experiences simply woke them up and allowed a permissive environment for his violent characteristics to develop.

By the time Bundy left for college he had experiences physical and emotional abuse from his family, he had realized his obsession with violent pornography and his inability to form a relationship was evident; however in 1967 Bundy found a woman by the name of Stephanie Brooks later she would leave Bundy, He left college to travel the countryside, he then returned to the University of Washington after learning his love for sexual dominance and violent sexual acts. He began dating another woman Elizabeth Kendall. He began dating Stephanie again until he grew tired of her and left her. In 1972 he graduated college however this year was more significant because it was the first official start to his kidnaping and murderous rage. “When talking to his lawyer the day before his execution, Bundy said that his first attempt to kidnap a woman was in 1969, and implied that his first actual murder was sometime in the 1972-73 time frame. His earliest known, confirmed murders were committed in 1974, when he was 27” (Crime Museum 2017). This means that throughout his relationship with Kendall he was committed these heinous acts. On January 4th 1974 .

Bundy began his new occupation as one of the most successful killers in history with the forced entering of a college girls’ room his first victim “Bundy entered the basement bedroom of 18-year-old Joni Lenz (pseudonym), a dancer and student at the University of Washington. Bundy bludgeoned her with a metal rod from her bed frame while she slept, and sexually assaulted her with a speculum” (Crime Museum 2017). With serial killers there is usually a type of victim, Bundy sought after 18-24-year-old females (college age) with short brunette hair that would be split down the middle psychoanalysts believe this was because of his first love Stephanie Brooks and his anger towards her for breaking his heart in college. Bundy went on to rape and murder numerous University of Washington students in the same horrific fashion by breaking into their rooms, bludgeoning them dressing them in specific clothing then raping them or kidnapping them. He would then provide himself with sexual pleasure before mutilating their bodies and leaving them at the crime scene. He would then return later and recover the body bringing it back to his apartment where he would sleep with the corpse retrieving greater sexual pleasure until the body became exorbitantly decomposed beyond the ability to handle. Analyzing these actions supports the psychopathic tendencies he exposed. Bundy although a charmer and a man of cleanliness which he used to lurer his victims in . Was a horrifying individual only a man of insanity could possibly commit such atrocious crimes and then continue to do so for years to come. After leaving Washington Bundy moved his murder career to Utah where he attended law school. In October, “Nancy Wilcox disappeared from Holladay, near Salt Lake City, Utah on October 2. Wilcox was last seen riding in a Volkswagen Beetle. On October 18, Bundy murdered Melissa Smith, the 17-year-old daughter of Midvale police chief Louis Smith. Bundy raped, sodomized, and strangled her. Her body was found nine days later” (Crime Museum 2017). Bundy continue to rape and murder in Colorado, and Idaho before his first arrest in 1975 on August 16, He was questioned after an officer searched his vehicle finding a ski mask, rope, an ice pick, and other items. He would stand trial in 1976 for a kidnapping of one of his victims and sentenced to 15 years. He was then extradited to Colorado for another trial where he would escape after jumping out of a library window during a recess. He was captured six days later and brought back to a smaller cell. Where he again escaped after digging a hole through the ceiling and walking out the prison undetected he resumed his murders. He became careless entering Florida state lines perhaps knowing what his fate will be, he simply needed one last attack. “Just one week after Bundy’s arrival in Tallahassee, in the early hours of Super Bowl Sunday on January 15, 1978, two and a half years of repressed homicidal violence erupted. Bundy entered the Florida State University Chi Omega sorority house” (Crime Museum 2017). h e traveled to Lake City where he murdered his final victim On February 9, 1978, 12-year-old Kimberly Leach, throwing her body under a small pig shed. She would be his final victim (Delphine 2012). Bundy was arrested 6 days later thus ending one of the most tremendous rampages in history.

To conclude, Ted Bundy stood trial in 1979 for the Chi Omega murders he was placed on death row and executed by electric chair in 1989. He confessed to 8 unsolved murders and Bob Keppel a former King County investigator went on record as saying he was the type of man born to kill (Cook 2011). Ted Bundy was a horrific man and a successful serial killer but just like any long-lasting murderous rampage things are forgotten and he let his anger control him he made mistakes such as biting his victims in Florida which ended up being part of his demise. Ted Bundy experienced incredibly horrendous events as a child that sparked his anger towards females and human beings however, his ability to kill without remorse stems from a biological defiency in his brain as well as his extreme antisocial personality disorder. Events like the Ted Bundy murders developed society and homicide investigations throughout the years allowing for law enforcement to pin point why people commit actions such as serial rape and murder.   

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This paper discusses Theodore Robert Bundy (Ted Bundy) a serial killer who conducted a range of homicides between 1973 and 1978.  He confessed to carrying out 30 murders although the range was never fully determined and figures have been reported to be as high as 100 victims.  The paper will be split into three distinct parts: (i) The background, introduction and life of the criminal (ii) The crimes that the murder was convicted of and (iii) two theories applicable to why Ted Bundy carried out these crimes.  The theories under review are: (i) Agnews General Strain Theory  (ii) arousal theory and (iii) neutralization theory.

Introduction and Background

Ted Bundy came from rather a disturbing parental background.  It was unclear exactly who his parents were until a later date. He grew up with his sister, who later it was found was really his Mother.  Louise the mother later confessed to being seduced by a war veteran who it was believed to be Bundy’s father.  She also reported having an abusive father.  So in this sense this was a family with a psycological history of problems.  Ted Bundy was described as having a shy and introvert character during his high school years, generally not socially integrating well with people.  Bundy described himself as an entity that had an obsession with sex and violence from an early age; he searched out literature that depicted violent sexual activities and became stimulated by such materials.  During his juvenile years he gained conviction for theft and shoplifting.

Bundy was a relatively intelligent individual attending two Universities in Washington State. During this time he had a number of relationships before splitting with one student and returning East ton Vermont where it is alleged he discovered the truth about his parentage by visiting a local records office.  In addition to attending Washington Universities he attended law school at the University of Utah  in Salt Lake City. Bundy graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Psychology. He never completed his law studies in Utah.

The Murder History

It was never actually clear where the reign of terror started.  It is widely held that Bundy started killing from his early teens and he was linked to the murder of Anne Marie Burr who disappeared from her home in Tacoma during 1961 never to be seen again.  The killing spree went on across the entire United States with his preferred victims being brunette Caucasians.  His murders were particularly brutal and covered acts of : Sodomy, biting, rape, strangulation, slashing, bludgeoning, necrophilia, decapitation, dismemberment. He was known for taking trophies of his victims which included heads, pictures and skulls.   Bundy adopted various methods of killing his victims but there some pattern .. ” Methods were various. However, for the murders before his first arrest his method was generally the same. He would cruise in his car looking for a suitable victim. The car had the front passenger seat removed especially for this purpose. He had a variety of ruses to lure the victim to his car. This included impersonating a police officer; and feigning a broken leg or arm and asking for assistance with something. Bundy would then beat each girl with an iron bar or other similar heavy weapon. He would then drive the victim to a lonely place, where he could rape her and kill her.” (Barbeault, 2009)

The Police place Bundy on record as accountable for 40 murders but in reality nobody really knows the true number as not all cases have been resolved and the number potentially could be as high as 40.  It was on July 23rd 1980 that Bundy was convicted of two murders and later a third conviction relative to the case of 12 year old Kimberly Leach.  Bundy was sentenced to die in the Electric Chair in the State of Florida.  Bundy confessed to every murder prior to his death and he was finally executed ion Jan 24th 1989 after going through 10 years of appeals.  He ended up confessing to 40 murders but reality suggests the figure could have been much higher.  “One of Bundy’s most famous quotes regarding his crimes can be found in Dr. James Dobson’s book, Life on the Edge : “We serial killers are your sons, we are your husbands, we are everywhere. And there will be more of your children dead tomorrow.” (Lohr, 2002)

One of the statements made by Bundy upon his capture in Florida is indicative of the mind of a cold a brutal killer ” “I deserve, certainly, the most extreme punishment society has, and I think society deserves to be protected from me and from others like me.”  (Anon, 2009)

Theories Under Review

Agnews General Strain Theory: In 1992 Robert Agnew proposed ” the General Strain Theory”,  this had a particular reference to adolescent behaviour ” Agnew’s strain theory focuses primarily on negative relationships with others, in that a person is not treated in a way that he or she expects or wants to be treated. He argues that people are pressured into criminal or deviant acts by negative affective states, such as anger, which results in negative relationships. Such a negative affect leads to pressure which then leads to illegitimate ways to attain a goal.”  (DeMelo, 1999). Bundy had a criminal record for juvenile delinquency including shoplifting and theft. He demonstrated anti-social tendencies from an early age.  He was also angry and particularly about his upbringing and parentage.  The relationship with his sister ( the mother) was played out in the anger with the relationships of his girlfriends.  It might be argued that equally he was a borderline schizophrenic demontrating a “Jeckyll and Hyde character”. Nevertheless the murders were premeditated and carried out in a devisive and brutal manner of a cold and calculated killer.

Arousal Theory : Bundys early crimes fit into the arousal pattern of behaviour.  The shoplifting and theft – the attraction of the thrill and getting away with petty crime.  Hence it might be argued that Bundy sought early gratification from crime.  The brain is stimulated by this response and to achieve higher levels of stimulation you progress to more heinous crimes.  In this case the stimulation of sex and violence and achieving a blood lust. Bundy  himself compared his feelings as “vampire tendencies”.  The point to where he moved into mutilation, collecting anatomical trophies illustrates a shift into insanity.  The key here is that Bundy was very aware of what he was doing and the murders were pre-meditated and as such not the act of insanity. Hence the death penalty.  However, from a normal behavioural viewpoint the acts of a serial killer are not the acts of a sane person.  His convictions of necrophilia, having sex with dead victims, are a case in point.  Hardly the act of someone you would describe as sane.

Neutralisation Theory: Developed by the Psychologists Sykes and Matza. ” Their contention is that delinquent youth are almost as likely as their more conformist counterparts to feel guilt and shame over behaviours that violate the basic norms of our society, BUT THEY FIND A WAY TO JUSTIFY IT. They and their friends develop rationalizations (another word would be justifications) that neutralize their potential guilt BEFORE THEY BREAK THE LAW. What’s more, those rationalizations fall into several typical patterns, which Sykes and Matza call “ techniques of neutralization.” (Aronson, 2007) .  His willingness to blame pornography for his downfall citing that as the prime cause for motivating his life of crime.  The concept of most of his victims were white Caucasian brunettes and stating that this class of female was particularly selected because they deserved it.  The concept of rationalizing future behaviour based upon some random justification of murdering a specific sect of people.  Holmes and DeBurger classified Serial Killers as being one of four types :

• The Visionary Type : visions or voices guide the actions
• Mission Oriented Type : The right to remove a sect from society
• Hedonistic Type : Pleasure gained from killing
• Power/Control type:  Control of victims with sexual satisfaction

Bundy really falling into categories 3 and 4. 

Works Cited

Anon. (2009). Stage Direct . Retrieved 12 4, 2009, from Mass Murderers : Ted Blundy: http://www.stagedirect.com/massmurder/killers_bundy.shtml

Aronson, E. (2007). The Social Animal. In E. Aronson, The Social Animal (p. 431). Santa Cruz CA: WH Freeman.

Barbeault, M. (2009, 04 22). Murders Database UK . Retrieved 12 4, 2009, from Murders Database UK: http://www.murdersdatabase.co.uk/

DeMelo, D. M. (1999, 12 14). Criminological Theory on the Web . Retrieved 12 4, 2009, from Criminological Theory on the Web: http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/200/Diane_Demelo/diane.pdf

Lohr, D. (2002, 6 10). Ted Bundy: The Poster Boy of Serial Killers . Retrieved 12 4, 2009, from Crime Magazine: http://www.crimemagazine.com/ted_bundy.htm

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Ted Bundy Research Paper

“Ask a psychopath what love is and he’ll go on and on, but he has never felt it himself…If you catch him lying, he’ll just shift gears and go on as though nothing had happened” (Goleman). Ted Bundy was one of the most famous psychopaths in the history of the country (Nordheimer). People say he was the perfect killer- handsome, intelligent, witty, and charming (Boynton 25). Bundy was the complete opposite of what people thought a serial killer looked like, so his victims did not fear him (“Ted Bundy”).

Robert Keppel, an expert on serial killers, stated, “He taught us that a serial killer can appear to be absolutely normal, the guy next door (“Serial Killers and Mass Murderers ”). At one point he was working for a suicide hotline; a friend once said, “Ted Bundy took lives, he also saved lives” (Thompson). Bundy not only thrived on the attention he received from the police and the media (Editors), but loved the thrill of stalking his victims (U*X*L). Not one person Ted Bundy knew would have guessed he was able to do such horrid things.

Theodore Robert Cowell was born in the Elizabeth Lund Home for Unwed Mothers in Burlington, Vermont on November 24, 1946. His mother, Louise Cowell, was pregnant with Theodore when she was only twenty-one years old. Louise grew up in a very strict Methodist backround. Because she was not married, having Theodore was an embarrassment to her parents, Sam and Eleanor Cowell. Sam Cowell was known for being ill-tempered and racist. He verbally and physically abused his wife. Because of this, Eleanor suffered from frequent bouts of depression and was always living in fear.

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Louise had greatly struggled to even tell her parents about her pregnancy on account of what they might do. After birth, Louise traveled back home to Philadelphia so her parents could decide whether they wanted to keep Theodore or put him up for adoption. When the Cowell family was debating, they left Theodore with strangers in Vermont. Two months later, Louise returned to Vermont and brought the baby back to Philadelphia. As soon as the two arrived back home, the Cowell’s told the town that they had adopted Theodore and that Louise was his older sister to save themselves from the gossip of their neighbors.

Even when Ted was young, there were incidents that showed how he was different than other children. “When his Aunt Julie was fifteen years old, she awoke on more than on morning to find her nephew stealthily lifting her blanket and slipping butcher knives into the bed beside her. He just stood there and grinned. ” These occurrences were happening when Ted was just three years old (Serial Killers 10). In 1950, Louise and Theodore moved to Tacoma, Washington where they lived with welcoming relatives. To save herself from a bad reputation, Louise changed her last name to Nelson and told the town that she was a widow.

She soon found a job as a secretary and started to attend a local Methodist church (Serial Killers 10). Louise met John Culpepper Bundy, a hospital cook. The two married on May 19, 1951 and Ted changed his name for the third time at only five years old (11). Once four more children were added to the Bundy household, Theodore became even more isolated, keeping mostly to himself (“Ted Bundy Biography”). As Theodore grew older and started to attend school, his mother received concerned notes from his teachers telling her that she needed to control his violent temper. When provoked, Ted would get very angry and his teachers were worried.

All throughout high school, Ted knew he was different than all the others. He could not feel or understand natural human emotions like normal teenagers so in order for him to appear normal, he was forced to mimic them. Bundy was not able to be caring or compassionate and failed to develop a conscience. He felt that he was living in a world of objects- things to be used or discarded (Serial Killers 15). Ted’s high school years were when he began his life of crime. He started stealing expensive clothes and ski equipment and he was sneaking out and peeking through women’s windows to watch them undress.

He disabled a woman’s car to make her less mobile and more vulnerable, which satisfied his sexual fantasies. The people who knew Ted would never guess for a second that he was living the life of this sex-obsessed criminal. He received good grades, he regularly attended church, and he was active in Boy Scouts (11). Ted Bundy appeared as an average teenager. He graduated from high school in 1965 and won a scholarship to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, but later transferred to the University of Washington, where he met the girl of his dreams.

Stephanie Brooks had everything, but he loved her for all the wrong reasons: her looks, her money, and her status. Ted tried to do everything he could to make sure she was pleased with him. He followed her to Stanford University in 1967, but she broke up with him soon after. He left Stanford and returned to the University of Washington with a broken heart. His grades suffered tremendously so he had no choice but to drop out (Serial Killers 15). Throughout the year 1968, Ted became obsessed with winning Stephanie back.

He changed his whole outer appearance and was more determined than ever to impress her. Transforming himself into a totally different man, he was becoming someone who Brooks would want. Bundy chose politics as his chosen road towards status; he was active in the Washington State Republican party (Serial Killers 15). Toward the end of 1968, he was unemployed after the Republican candidate he was working for lost an election. The following year Ted attended Temple University for a few months (16). Theodore was becoming the ideal citizen (Serial Killers 15).

He wrote a rape prevention pamphlet for women (Boynton 25), won a commendation from the Seattle Police Department for running down a purse snatcher, saved a drowning toddler from a lake (Serial Killers 15), and was an assistant director of the Seattle Crime Prevention Advisory Committee (Boynton 25). Ted reenrolled in the University of Washington in 1971 (Serial Killers 15). To earn a little pocket change, Bundy volunteered at Seattle’s Crisis Clinic where he met Ann Rule. Sharing secrets and sorrows, Bundy and Rule became very close- Ann almost acted as Bundy’s replacement mother.

Rule says, “Bundy was considered one of the most skilled counselors, adroit at persuading desperate voices that the night would pass and dawn would come” (Thompson). Ted finally graduated from the University of Washington in 1972 (Serial Killers 16) with a degree in psychology (Boynton 25). After graduation, he applied to law schools, but was rejected on account of his low entrance test scores. A year later, in 1973, he applied to the law school of the University of Utah and was accepted, but did not enroll until the fall of 1974.

During the summer of 1973, Bundy felt confident enough to reunite with Stephanie Brooks again, now being twenty six years old. While on a business trip to California, he took Brooks out to an expensive dinner and won her over. She loved the man Bundy had become and the two got engaged soon after (Serial Killers 16). Brooks thought they were going to get married, but Bundy abruptly cut off all ways of contact with her. This was his revenge for what she did to him years ago (“Ted Bundy Biography”), and Bundy later said, “I just wanted to prove to myself that I could have married her” (Serial Killers 16).

However, this revenge brought Bundy little comfort and began a series of attacks on innocent women (“Ted Bundy Biography”). All his victims were slender, white, and wore their hair parted down the middle and all disappeared in the late afternoon or evening (Boynton 25). Bundy’s prey oddly resembled Stephanie Brooks. Bundy’s first of many attacks was on January 4, 1974 in Seattle near the University of Washington campus. Joni Lentz, eighteen years old, was viciously attacked while sleeping in the house she shared with her roommates (Boynton 25). That morning Lentz did not show up for breakfast like she normally did.

Her roommates did not think anything out of the ordinary; they assumed she slept in late. But by noon, they were starting to worry. Knocking on the door, the roommates heard no response, so they pushed the door upon. To their disbelief, Joni was laying on her bed with her hair and face covered with dried blood. They noticed a metal rod was missing from her bed, and when they lifted the covers, the soon found out what had happened with the rod. The object was harshly shoved in her vagina. Lentz spent several months after the attack in a coma and fortunately, Joni survived and did not recall the incident at all (Serial Killers 16).

Twenty-seven days later on a Thursday night, twenty-one year old Lynda Ann Healy was abducted from her bedroom in the Seattle’s University District. Healy was a law student at the University of Washington and part-time weather reporter (Boynton 25). Her work as a weather reporter required her to wake up at 5:30 a. m. each morning and each night she went to bed early. Oddly, she did not show up to work and did not attend her classes later that day. Friday night Healy’s parents called the police hoping they were worrying for no reason- that their daughter was safe.

Detectives Wayne Dorman and Ted Fonis arrived on the scene and discovered Lynda no where to be found. Dried blood covered the pillow and soaked through the sheets, onto the mattress. The pillowcase was missing and never has been recovered. As the detectives were searching through her room for clues, they opened the closet and found Healy’s nightgown stuffed in the back with a neckline covered in dried blood (Serial Killers 16). Six weeks after Healy disappeared, Donna Manson, a nineteen year old student at Evergreen State College, left her dormitory to attend a jazz concert. Manson never arrived.

Susan Rancourt, a freshman at Central Washington State College disappeared a month after Manson. Rancourt was on her way to a campus movie and was never seen alive again (Serial Killers 17). After students became aware of what happened to Rancourt, they came forward and told of incidents similar to Rancourt’s. They told of encounters with a tall, handsome man with an arm in a sling. The mysterious man asked for their help to bring his books or packages to his car. Kathy Parks disappeared from Oregon State University and Brenda Ball was last seen in the parking lot of a tavern in Burier, Washington.

She was seen talking to a handsome, brown-haired man who had one arm in a sling. Georgeann Hawkins disappeared from her sorority house just north of the University of Washington (Boynton 28). She was last seen leaving the Beta fraternity house. Witnesses reported seeing a tall, good looking man on crutches near where Hawkins was last seen (29). Ball, Parks, and Hawkins disappeared in a matter of two months. Police had no leads on who this psychopath could be- Bundy covered his tracks perfectly. Janice Ott and Denise Naslund were kidnapped on July 14, 1974 at Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah, Washington (Boynton 25).

Janice Ott, twenty three, was a probation-office worker. On July 14th, Ott was laying on her blanket at around noon trying to catch a tan. Witnesses say they saw her and a man named Ted, who had his arm in sling, chat for a little bit. After chatting, Ott left with the mysterious man- this was the last time anyone has seen her alive. Denise Naslund was a tad younger at only eighteen years old. She worked as a secretary while studying to become a computer programmer. At 4:30 in the afternoon on the 14th, Naslund had just woken up from a nap. She went to the bathroom and never returned (Serial Killers 19).

The abductions from Lake Sammamish were under the control of the King County Major Crimes Unit, where Detective Robert Keppe worked. He was the first to connect the two abductions of Ott and Naslund to the attacks on Lentz and Healy. During this time, Bundy was working at the Washington State Department of Emergency Services in Olympia. His fellow coworkers told him he creepily resembled the “Ted” in the police sketches and Bundy just smiled and shrugged it off. His own girlfriend, Beth Archer, and four other people called the police and suggested him as a suspect. Beth debated on calling in for days.

No matter how much she wanted to deny her love being a killer, there were coincidences that could not be ignored. Bundy was always interested in the newspaper’s descriptions of the suspect and the car the police described was oddly similar to Ted’s. Her lover was safe for now though on account of there being no concrete evidence of murder; the victim’s bodies had not been found (Serial Killers 20). The policemen’s prayers had been answered on September 7, 1974. Elzie Hammons, a hunter, set up four miles from Lake Sammamish. While walking on a rugged, dirt path, he saw a skeleton. Nearby he discovered a human skull.

The search was led by Detective Bob Keppel of the King County police. By the end of the search, the men found a total of one skull, a lower jaw, a rib cage, a spinal column, five thigh bones, assorted smaller bones, and eight locks of hair. The remains were positively identified as Janice Ott and Denise Naslund. The third victim is said to be Georgann Hawkins, but that is not for certain (Serial Killers 20). After discovering these findings, the killings seemed to have stopped. However, this was not the case. Bundy began attending the University of Utah in 1974 and with him also came his destruction.

Soon enough, the disappearances started to happen again. On October 2, 1974, Nancy Wilcox vanished from her neighborhood south of Salt Lake City. The sixteen year old was last seen in a light color Volkswagon bug (Serial Killers 21). Just sixteen days later, Melissa Smith, a seventeen year old, disappeared from a local pizza parlor. Seventeen year old Laura Aime vanished after a Halloween party thirteen days after Smith was kidnapped. About a month after Melissa was taken police found her body in a canyon in the Wasatch Range, east of Salt Lake City.

A month after this finding, police located Aime’s body by a trail in the same mountains as Smith. Both of the victims’ skulls were crushed by being hit viciously in the head. Strangled and raped, Smith and Aime’s bodies were found nude and beaten (Serial Killers 21). On November 8, 1974 Bundy attempted to kidnap Carol DaRonch. While shopping at the mall, DaRonch was approached by a policeman asking her to go to the parking lot with him (Nordheimer). The officer called himself Officer Roseland and told Carol that someone had broken into her car (Serial Killers 9).

Once they walked out to the parking lot, Officer Roseland showed DaRonch his identification and asked her to go to the police station with him. She got in his Volkswagon and as soon as they sped off, the “officer” put handcuffs on her wrists. Carol kicked him in the crotch and managed to open the car door. As soon as she jumped out, she stopped an oncoming car for help (Nordheimer). Thankfully, nothing serious had happened to her- she was extremely lucky to be alive. That same night, Bundy drove to Viewmont high school in Bountiful, Utah looking for a new victim to satisfy his appetite since he let his first escape.

On that evening, Viewmont was having a school play. The teacher that was in charge was asked by Bundy to go out to the parking lot and help him identify a car. Thankfully, the teacher declined the handsome man’s offer. However, seventeen year old Debra Kent was not so fortunate. Debra left the play early to pick up her younger brother (Serial Killers 21). Soon after she left, resident from an apartment complex across the street heard two ear piercing screams. Kent’s body would never be found (22). After the attempted kidnapping of DaRonch and the successful abduction of Kent, Bundy stopped killing for about four months.

He then resumed in Colorado where he murdered four more women (26). March 1, 1975 was a comforting day for the families of Brenda Ball, Susan Rancourt, Kathy Parks, and Lynda Healy. Ten miles east of Issaquah, a couple of students that were hiking found a skull near Taylor Mountain. Detective Keppel led a search team of two hundred officers and volunteers. The men and women recovered all of these remains in a matter of eight days (Serial Killers 20). Throughout the year of 1975 Ted Bundy had two dozen police agencies from the states of Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Colorado on alert.

These agencies had no idea that they were all after the same man (22). At two a. m. on August 16, 1975, Sergeant Robert Hayward was on his way home from his shift. When he reached his neighborhood he cruised past a suspicious gray Volkswagon. Hayward put on his brights so he could take a look at the license plate. As soon as he turned his brights on, the driver of the Volkswagon turned off his lights and sped away feverishly. After a pursuit, the Volkswagon pulled in to a beaten down gas station. The driver’s license read Theodore Robert Bundy. Ted said he was lost and that he had just seen a movie at the local theatre.

Just to be cautious, Hayward called for some back up. When detective Daryle Ondrak arrived he asked Bundy if he could look in his car. Oddly, Ted had removed the passenger seat and sitting next to where the seat should be, was a crowbar. The detectives found this strange so they investigated the trunk. There they found an ice pick, ski mask, a mask made out of panty house, pieces of rope, and a pair of handcuffs. Ondrak arrested Bundy right away but he was soon freed (Serial Killers 22). Later on that week, Ondrak attended the usual meeting with the detectives in the area.

As the meeting was coming to a close, Ondrak mentioned Bundy and what had happened a few nights ago. Homicide Detective Jerry Thompson of the Salt lake County Sheriff’s Office pieced all the information together. Thompson had been investigating the murder of Melissa Smith for over a year. He remembered the attempted kidnapping of Carol DaRonch and how she was handcuffed in a Volkswagon. So many pieces were falling together in his mind and he knew that Bundy was the killer. Thompson worked tremendously hard to link Bundy to the DaRonch case (Serial Killers 22).

To make sure this happened, on October 2, 1975, Thompson assembled a police lineup. He brought in Carol DaRonch, the Viewmont drama teacher, and a Viewmont student who also talked to the mysterious stranger on the night of the play. All three women picked Bundy out of the lineup. Bundy was charged with the kidnapping and attempted murder of Carol DaRonch. His bail was set at one hundred thousand dollars and he was being held at the Salt Lake County Jail. After just seven weeks, Bundy’s bail was reduced to fifteen thousand dollars. Johnnie and Louise Bundy scrambled up enough money and on November 26th, Bundy returned to Seattle.

Bundy’s trial on the assault of Carol DaRonch was held on February 23, 1976 in the Salt Lake City Courthouse. The trial dragged on for several days, with DaRonch’s testimony being the crucial factor. Four days later Theodore was found guilty of aggravated kidnapping and was ordered to undergo psychiatric examination before his sentencing (Serial Killers 24). A few months later on June 30th, Ted Bundy was sentenced to one to fifteen years in the Utah State Prison. He boasted that he was a popular inmate and that the conviction, which he called just a minor setback, would be overturned in the near future (Serial Killers 24).

In January of 1977, Bundy was transferred to Colorado for the trial of the Caryn Cambell murder. For two months, he was held in the small Pitkin County Jail located in Aspen. There, Ted took pleasure in unlimited telephone privileges and made friends with ease. Throughout the trial, he did not get along with his team of lawyers so he fired them and coordinated his own defense. Bundy knew what he was doing- prisoners who are their own lawyer are permitted freedom of movement. He was allowed access to law books and such which are held in the library (25). Bundy took matters into his own hands; On June 7, 1977 Ted escaped.

Because Ted was in the courtroom, his handcuffs and leg irons were removed. The deputy in charge of him was guarding the courtroom door, so all Bundy had to do was slip out the back of the attached library. From that point, he jumped out the window, which was on second story, twenty five feet below. He left a four-inch imprint in the ground beneath him. A woman outside the courthouse saw Bundy jump, ran inside the courthouse, and asked an officer if people normally jumped out of windows here. The officer ran outside, but the fugitive was long gone. The police knew that Bundy was a psychopath and that they had to catch him soon (Boynton 27).

Police advised Aspen residents to lock their doors, put their cars in the garage, and hide their children. Bundy’s own mother, Louise Bundy, appeared on a news broadcast in Tacoma, Washington begging for Ted to turn himself in (Serial Killers 27). Ted never did turn himself in because he was captured eight days after he fled from jail (Boynton 27). When he returned to jail, he was forced to handcuffs and leg irons each time he left his cell (Serial Killers 27) and was moved to the Garfield County Jail because the police wanted him to be in a jail that had more security (25).

The murder trial moved from Aspen to Colorado Springs on December 23, 1977. In Colorado Springs the death penalty is handed out more freely than in Aspen. Prosecutors and police knew that the Caryn Cambell murder was weak. Bundy, however, thought that the verdict was not going to lean his way and did not want to end up prison for the rest of his life. His second escape occurred on December 30th. Bundy starved himself so he would be skinny enough to squeeze out through a hole in the ceiling of his cell. He crept through a crawl space and climbed down into the closet of his jailer’s apartment.

After waiting patiently, he walked on the front door of the jail and no suspected anything. No one realized he had escaped until fifteen hours later. Bundy traveled to Ann Harbor, Michigan, and then Chicago. His last stop was Florida (Boynton 27). After Bundy’s second escape, in January 1978, he rented an apartment close to Florida State University. Ted grew a beard and went by the name “Chris Hagen”, but for the most part he was the same Ted Bundy, just a little altered. While in Florida, he killed three women.

On January 14th, he attacked Margaret Bowman, Lisa Levy, Karen Chandler, and Kathy Kleiner who were members of the Chi Omega Sorority at Florida State University. Chandler and Kleiner were the lucky ones- they survived. Bowman and Levy were, however, strangled to death by Bundy (Boynton 26). These killings proved that Ted no longer showed the finesse like he used to in he past. He slaughtered as fast and as furious as possible (Serial Killers 34). The day after the Chi Omega killings, Bundy was visiting the Oaks, which is a lodge for snow boarders.

Boarders who were also staying there were discussing what had happened the day before and a man named Chris Hagen informed them that the murderer was smart for beating the victims with a log because that does not show DNA. He told his new buddies that he could easily get away with murder because he knew how to find the way around the law. Bundy no longer could appear normal- his impulses were taking over (35). Bundy’s final victim was twelve year old Kimberly Leach. Leach left her purse when she went from her homeroom to her gym class. As she was walking back to retrieve it, rain began to pour. She never had the chance to grab her purse.

Two months later the police found her body with her clothes folded in a neat stack right beside her (Serial Killers 35). The trial for the Chi Omega attacks was the most complicated and bizarre trial in legal history. At one point during the trial, Bundy was doing three roles at once: defendant, defense attorney, and witness for the defense (Serial Killers 37). During the proceedings Ted even had a fan group of girls who called themselves “Ted’s Groupies”. The Bundy lovers packed the courthouse to support their favorite serial killer. Throughout the trial, he would occasionally turn and flash them that million dollar smile (39).

Another reason why this trial was one of the strangest in history was because while Bundy’s girlfriend, Carole Ann Boone, was getting questioned by him Ted asked her to marry him (42). One day in court, he brought in an envelop that included his confessions to the Chi Omega and Kimberly Leach killings. There was an agreement that said he would have to face life in prison, but not the death penalty. Instead of just accepting the deal nonchalantly, Bundy made a big corruption in the courthouse. He attacked his own lawyer, Mike Minerva, by telling the judge that he was inept and defeatist.

While this was happening, the prosecutors silently told the defense table that the bargain deal was off. “The prosecutors didn’t want to take a chance that Bundy’s confessions would be invalidated on appeal over the issue of his appointed attorney’s competence” (Serial Killers 39). After only six hours of deliberation, Bundy was convicted on two counts of first degree murder of the Chi Omega Killings. He was sentenced to death by electrocution. He received an additional death sentence for Leach’s murder (42). In the beginning of his imprisonment, Carol Ann visited him often and actually became pregnant with his daughter.

Bundy’s daughter was born in October 1982 and met her father multiple times. Four years later, Carol and their daughter left the state to take care of a sick relative. Carol never returned to see Bundy again (Serial Killers 43). While in jail he switched to Hinduism. He started to become very afraid of dying and he was doing everything he could to prolong his life. Bundy told the details of his victim’s death. The victim’s families were given the choice to say a good word about Bundy in exchange for the truth on what happened to their daughters.

Not one single person agreed to say or do anything that would help Bundy live any longer (Serial Killers 44). One of his confessions he stated was that on the day he kidnapped Janice Ott and Denise Naslund from Lake Sammamish, he kept both women alive for a while, meaning one had to watch the one die (Serial Killers 43). He also confessed to eleven murders in Washington, eight in Utah, three in Colorado, three in Florida, two in Oregon, two in Idaho, and one in California. Off the record he indicated of two killings in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but this confession was not official (46).

Ted Bundy was executed on January 4, 1989 in the Florida State Prison (Editors 89) at 7:16 a. m. When Bundy died, Carol DaRonch was thirty three years old. After the execution DaRonch stated, “If they’d have asked me, I probably would have pulled that switch myself” (Serial Killers 46). The death of Ted Bundy was comforting news to the families of the victims. Ted Bundy was one of the most interesting serial killers the legal system has ever seen. He charmed and manipulated not only his victims, but also police offers, investigators, and anyone involved legally. Bundy enjoyed the thrill of taunting the police and baiting the media.

He was obsessed with the attention he received (Editors 91). Throughout his criminal life, the way he abducted and killed changed tremendously. In the beginning he was very organized and killed with finesse, but his last few murders were brutal and sloppy. In an interview with Bundy the day before he died, Ted stated that the reason he killed the way he did was because of the porn he watched when he was younger. Ted Bundy is a psychopath and destructed the lives of so many families. He once said, “What’s one less person on the face of the earth any way? ” (Serial Killers 43).

Ted Bundy was a malicious man who never felt sorry for what he did to those poor women. “The only death he ever wept for was his own” (10). Works Cited Boyton, Gary. “Ted Bundy: The Serial Killer Next Door. ” Crimes and Trials of the Century. Volume Two. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2007. Print. The Editors of Salem Press. “Ted Bundy. ” American Villains. Volume one. Pasadena: Salem Press, Inc. , 2008. Print. Goleman, Daniel. “Brain Defect Tied to Utter Amorality of the Psychopath. ” New York Times, 7 July 1987: C1. ProQuest. Web. 25 Aug. 2011. Nordheimer, Jon. “All-American Boy on Trial. ” New York Times. 10 Dec. 1978: SM24.

ProQuest. Web. 24 Aug. 2011. “Serial Killers and Mass Murderers (1980s). ” American Decades 2003: n. p. Student Resource Center Gold. Web. 31 Aug. 2011. Serial Killers. Richmond: Time-Life Books, 1992. Print. “Serial Killers. ” U*X*L Encyclopedia of U. S. History 2009: n. p. Student Resource Center Gold. Web. 31 Aug. 2011. “Ted Bundy. ” Crimemuseum. org. National Museum of Crime and Punishment, 2008. Web. 4 Sep. 2011. “Ted Bundy Biography. ” Thebiographychannel. co. uk. Bio. , n. d. Web. 5 Sep. 2011. Thompson, Thomas. “The Women Disappeared. ” DISCovering Authors 2003: n. p. Student Resource Center Gold. Web. 31 Aug. 2011.

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Ted Bundy Research Paper. (2016, Dec 14). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/ted-bundy-research-paper/

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