Ted Bundy Was an American Serial Murderer - Research Paper Example

The main motivation for serial killing is the attainment of psychological gratification.  Ted Bundy has been chosen as the epitome of a serial murderer.   Details on Ted Bundy Known by his full name Theodore Robert Bundy (November 24th, 1946- January 24th, 1989), Ted Bundy was an American serial murderer, kidnapper, rapist, and necrophile.  By the 1970s, he had murdered and assaulted several girls and young women. Although Bundy denied his criminal exploits for decades, yet he later confessed before his execution, of having committed 30 homicides between 1974 and 1978, and in seven states. However, the actual number of Bundy’s victims remains unknown and is deemed to be higher.  It is observed that Bundy used his charisma and good looks to lure his victims into his deadly traps (Holmes and Holmes, 2009).    A Brief Description of Ted Bundy’s Background Ted Bundy was born on November 24th, 1946 to Eleanor Louise and an unidentified father by the name of Lloyd Marshall, at the Lund Family Center. For the first 3 years, Bundy’s maternal grandparents took care of him in Philadelphia. Later on, Eleanor Louise changed her name and ran away with Ted to Tacoma, Washington where he met and remarried Johnny C. Bundy, then, a hospital cook. Records reveal of Bundy has been arrested twice on suspicion of car theft and burglary.  In 1974, his earliest documented act of homicide was entered.    Crimes committed, The crimes that Ted Bundy committed are multiple and include serial killings, kidnappings, rape, and necrophilia. It is not known exactly how many young women and girls Bundy killed, but documents show that he confessed to having murdered (at least) 30 of them. Some of Bundy’s victims include Karen Sparks (Joni Lenz), Lynda Ann Healy, Dona Gail Manson, Brenda Carol Ball, Georgeann Hawkins, Denise Naslund, Nancy Wilcox, Melissa Smith, Debra Kent, Caryn Campbell, and Susan Curtis.     Bundy’s Capture and Sentencing According to Newton (2009), a Utah Highway Patrol officer arrested Ted Bundy in August 1975, after Bundy had refused to pull over for a routine police check. When paraphernalia for committing crimes was found in the trunk of Bundy’s Volkswagen, more searches were carried out in his home. He would later be released, but put under watch. In November 1975, three chief Bundy investigators Michael Fisher, Robert Keppel, and Jerry Thompson converged in the Aspen Summit with over 30 other detectives and agreed that Bundy was the serial murderer they were seeking, thereby leading to his re-arrest.     In June 1979, Bundy stood a court trial for the Chi Omega assaults and homicides in Miami. The trial remained unique in US history in that it was covered by 250 reporters and was the first one to be televised nationally. The second trial was carried out in Orlando. By February 10th, 1980, Bundy had been found guilty in all the court trials, and for the third time, sentenced to death by electrocution.  Read More