Ted Bundy Describe the Crime

Ted Bundy

Describe the crime and the events that have led to the crime or crimes

Ted Bundy is one of the most notorious serial killers of recent memory. What makes Bundy's crimes so shocking is not merely their brutal nature, nor their number, but the fact that Bundy was an educated, and apparently cultured and charming man. When Bundy was executed in Florida in 1989 he had confessed to thirty murders of young women, including a twelve-year-old girl. He revealed information about the murders in bits and pieces, partially to bargain more time before he was executed, partially because he seemed to enjoy playing a cat and mouse game with the authorities. Some believe that Bundy first killed a girl when he was age fourteen (Chua-Eoan, 2007).

Unlike the usual assumption that a serial killer is a frustrated, unsuccessful loner, Bundy seemed to most observers like a gregarious law student. Bundy was first arrested for kidnapping in 1975 and was accused of murder in December 1977. He escaped from prison and continued to rape and kill women until he was caught. Bundy, ever the showman, acted as his own defense attorney during the trial and seduced women even from behind bars, marrying one of his 'fans' who divorced him only shortly before he was supposed to be executed.

Provide a psychological (risk factors, developmental history, cognitive model), biological, sociological (learning theories) perspective in relation to the criminal.

Ted Bundy's early life was not without some difficulties -- he was born out of wedlock, he was teased as a young man (although became popular in high school) and suffered a traumatic break-up from his girlfriend while an undergraduate. However, there is no singular, past event in Bundy's life that 'explains' his actions ("The Early Years" Ted Bundy, 2007). His father is unknown, but there is no strong biological basis to account for his violence and his developmental history, although troubled in regards to his early relationships with women and his sense of what it means to be a 'man' was not overly traumatic. Bundy seemed to grow into socially and academically successful young man. He was certainly capable of fitting into society, when he chose to do so.

Describe any mental illness perspective in relation to the criminal

Bundy clearly seems to exhibit a personality disorder, that of a sociopathic personality. Unlike the more common type of sociopaths who are socialized into their behavior, a true psychopath appears to be 'born' that way. "There are at least four (4) different subtypes -- common, alienated, aggressive, and dyssocial. Commons are characterized mostly by their lack of conscience; the alienated by their inability to love or be loved; aggressives by a consistent sadistic streak; and dyssocials by an ability to abide by gang rules, as long as those rules are the wrong rules" (O'Connor, 2005). Bundy clearly falls into the aggressive category.

Describe and explain whether the individual may be a psychopath as defined by Hare.

On Hare's checklist of psychopathology, Bundy has nearly all of the traits, including glib and superficial charm (with women), a grandiose (exaggeratedly high) estimation of himself (as exemplified by his defense of himself in court), a need for stimulation, pathological lying, cunning and manipulativeness and a lack of remorse or guilt that caused him to play games with the law until the eve of his execution. Throughout his life he showed superficial emotional responsiveness, callousness and lack of empathy, promiscuity, and impulsivity (such as when he escaped from jail). The only traits on Hare's scale he lacked are that of a parasitic lifestyle, early behavior problems, and lack of long-term goals