The Famous American Criminal - Essay Example

The Famous American CriminalTed Bundy was an American criminal born in Vermont on 24 November 1946. Bundy was involved in a whole range of crimes including kidnapping, serial killing, and raping. He raped and murdered several women in the 1970s. Bundy kept denying his crimes for about a decade but finally confessed having committed 30 murders in the years from 1974 to 1978 in seven different states of the USA. It is expected that the actual number of murders exceeded 30. Eleanor Louise Cowell was Bundy’s mother and his birth certificate predicted Lloyd Marshall as his father, though Louise said Bundy might be Lloyd Marshall’s son, who was a sailor who had seduced Louise.

Some of his family members suspected Bundy to be the son of Samuel Cowell, who was Louise’s father. Bundy spent the first three years of his life at his maternal grandparents’ home. Bundy remained upset with his mother throughout his life since the day he came to know of his illegitimate birth. Bundy was charismatic and handsome in his youth. He used his physical attractiveness to earn the trust of young women. He approached the women in public places and pretended to be disabled, only to assault them when they went with him to an isolated location.

He used to do sex with the corpses of the murdered women until the intervention of wild animals. He beheaded twelve of his victims and kept some heads at his apartment as memento. Occasionally, he would break into people’s homes in the middle of night and beat them to death. Bundy was initially charged in the year 1975 in the US state of Utah for kidnapping and attempted murder, which led to a longer list of cases of murders in different states. Bundy managed to escape the prison twice from 1975 onwards during which, he committed more murders.

He was ultimately captured in the year 1978 in Florida. In two distinct trials, Bundy was given three death sentences for the murders he had committed in Florida. Bundy expressed his views upon the art of crime in these words, “You learn what you need to kill and take care of the details. It's like changing a tire. The first time you're careful. By the thirtieth time, you can't remember where you left the lug wrench” (Bundy cited in “Ted Bundy Quotes”). Bundy attributed his madness and craziness to the stuff shown in the media.

At one point, he said, “there lots of other kids playing in streets around this country today who are going to be dead tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day and month, because other young people are reading the kinds of things and seeing the kinds of things that are available in the media today” (Bundy cited in “The 14 Creepiest”). Although he confessed having killed 30 women, the true number was never revealed by him (Bell). Ted Bundy was executed on 24 January 1989. He was executed on an electric chair at Florida’s Raidford Prison.

Works Cited:Bell, Rachael. “The Ted Bundy Story — Attack!” 2012. Web. 23 April 2012. ."Crimonological theories summaries." 2002. Web. 23 April 2012. “Ted Bundy Quotes & Sayings.” 2012. Web. 23 April 2012. .“The 14 Creepiest Ted Bundy Quotes.” 2012. Web. 23 April 2012. .