Ted Bundy

Serial killers tend to be white heterosexual males in their twenties and thirties. While it is impossible to predict who will become a serial killer there are traits that appear to be similar in all killers. These behaviors include cruelty to animals, bedwetting, lying, drug and alcohol abuse, and a history of violence. According to Robert Ressler, serial homicide involves the murder of separate of separate victims with time breaks between victims, as minimal as two days to weeks or months. These time breaks are referred to as a cooling off period. Because homicides involving multiple victims is gradually becoming more commonplace, and to facilitate an understanding of the aforementioned definition, it is helpful to differentiate serial murder from other types of murder, such as mass murder, which involves four or more victims killed within a short time span, and spree killings, which Ressler defines as a series of sequential homicides connected to one event committed over a time period of hours to days and without a cooling off period.

Ted Bundy is one of the worst serial killers in history. His antisocial personality and psychotic character made him feared across the country. After all was said and done Ted left behind a trail of bloody slayings that included the deaths of 36 young women and spanned through four states. The biggest question in many people's mind was how someone as intelligent, highly accomplished, and praised as Bundy does such a thing?

Theodore Robert Bundy was born November 24th, 1946 in Burlington, Vermont to a 21 year old mother. Ted's mom never told him much about his father except that he was in the armed forces and they had only dated a few times. Ted was left in foster care for two months while his mom and parents decided what to do with him. In 1946 a not so intelligent child was extremely looked down upon by society. Once they decided to keep Ted, his grandparents told everyone he was their adopted son. Ted knew who his biological mom was, but outsiders were told that she was his sister. When Ted was three years old, his Aunt, age 15, said she awoke to find him slipping butcher knives into the bed beside her under the covers. She told him to leave and took the knives back.

The older Ted got, it became more difficult to hide his family's identity and his birth mother a secret. Ted and his mother moved to Washington where she met and married John Bundy. At the time Ted was four years old. He was adopted by John and his new parents had four children together. From the beginning Ted did well in school. His teachers complimented him on his good grades. But they also commented on Ted's inability to control his violent temper. Friends recall Ted as one who would usually avoid fights, though when provoked could explode with frightening violence and anger. Ted was active in Boy Scouts and attended church regularly. He also held a part-time job and made excellent grades. Ted just dated once during high school and was described as shy. It was around this time that Ted began sneaking out of the house and peeping into windows. He also began shoplifting for expensive items and told his mom that they were gifts. He was picked up at least twice by juvenile authorities for suspicion of auto theft and burglary, but nothing came of it.

Ted recognized that he did not have remorse the way other kids did so he learned to mimic normal emotions. Ted participated in many respectable behaviors that helped make it so unbelievable to accept his guiltiness. He caught a purse snatcher and was given a commendation from the police department. He also saved a drowning toddler once by diving into a lake after him. Ted also worked for a suicide prevention hotline talking others out of killing themselves. He also wrote rape-prevention books and became active in politics gaining the attention of very important, highly known people. Ted worked many low paying jobs to pay for college. He was a busboy at a hotel, a messenger, and clerks at various stores. He left most jobs after only a few months. Some employers said he was a good worker while others gave him less than favorable comments.

He is said to have begun his serial killings in his late twenties in 1974. However many people believe that he started earlier than this. He is said to be the suspect in numerous unsolved murders. In January of 1974, an 18 year old student was found unconscious in her bedroom. Ted had beaten her with a metal rod and then he sexually assaulted her with it.. The woman survived but was in a coma for several months and had no memory of the event at all. A month later he abducted and killed a 21 year old woman named, Lynda Ann Healy. When police entered her room they found blood all over her bed, her nightgown stiff with blood, and her clothes and backpack from the night before were missing. Six weeks later, a 19 year old college student never arrived at a jazz concert she