Ted Bundy's Perception Of Serial Killers

“I'm the most cold-hearted son of a bitch you'll ever meet.” This is what Ted Bundy said to his interrogator in Pensacola, Florida after he was arrested in 1978 (Brogaard). This statement sums up most of what we assume about serial killers – they are emotionless and callous. Ted Bundy, one of the most infamous serial killers in recent history, was often described as charismatic and mild-mannered. This perception of him wasn’t without merit. He worked at a crisis hotline and shared dreams of becoming a lawyer (Silkes). How could someone so seemingly normal – perfect even – behave in such horrifying and inhumane manners? What truly makes a serial killer? Most theories involve a social aspect, genetic aspect, or both. There is no official

Psychopathy is characterized by “deception, manipulation, irresponsibility, impulsivity, stimulation seeking, poor behavioral controls, shallow affect, lack of empathy, guilt, or remorse, a callous disregard for the rights of others, and unethical and antisocial behaviors” (Bonn). Psychopathic killers often disregard human life so they can achieve their own goals. They don’t feel the emotions that regular people would. Ted Bundy is an example of a killer who was influenced by his mental health. Bundy has been credited saying that his family was not to blame for his crimes. In fact, his last words were “Jim and Fred, I'd like you to give my love to my family and friends.” Jim was his lawyer and Fred was a minister he had talked to all night about his upcoming execution. He was raised in a normal home and lived a seemingly normal life. His psychopathy seems to be the main reason for his killing; however, his home life was not as normal as he let on. His mother had him at a young age, so his grandparents raised him as their own and he believed his mother was his sister. This is enough to mess with anyone, but he refuses to blame anyone but himself for his crimes. He maintains that his childhood was happy, so did his family have more of an effect on him than he thought or was his mind to blame? Psychopathy is not the only illness that

This states physical injuries and illnesses as a cause for serial killing. Many killers have talked about a head injury they have sustained as a child. Head injuries are known to change the personality, because “damage to specific areas of the brain, including the frontal and temporal lobes, amygdala, and hippocampus might leave the survivor vulnerable to agitation, volatile emotions… physical aggression, and impaired impulse control” (Cromer). These characteristics are all common in serial killers, so it isn’t that big of a leap to believe that some serial killers may have sustained head injuries. Bobby Joe Long was injured in a motorcycle accident and hospitalized for several weeks, and he sustained several head injuries as a child. He was always troubled, but his wife described that after the accident he became angrier. He also believed he was affected by the accident, stating “after I’m dead, they’re going to open my head and find that, just like we’ve been saying, a part of my brain is black and dry and dead” (Winerman). There are also some problems with this theory, because not everyone who kills has a head injury, and not everyone who has a head injury kills. This is the problem with most theories – there is no consistency. All of these theories usually have to work together to produce a