Historic Information
Ted Bundy, in full Theodore Robert Bundy, was born on 24th November 1946 in Burlington, Vermont, USA. His mother conceived him outside wedlock and this pilled immense pressure on her, causing her to deny her child. Bundy was raised by his grandparents in a home devoid of love and care. Later on, he began school and the height of his academic achievements was attaining a law degree (McCann, 2021). At the height of his psychopathic disorder, Ted is poised to have killed a total of 30 women, although researchers suspect the number to be around 100. Bundy once escaped from prison in 1977, and this made him a sensational figure in America despite his heinous crimes. At last, Bundy was sentenced to death and executed in Florida’s electric chair in 1989.
Physical Features
At the height of his murder crimes against women, Bundy was approximately 1.78 meters tall and weighed 75 kilograms. These physical attributes may explain his ability to overpower and murder his victims. He was largely considered attractive by the universal standards of the time, and this would explain his ease in attracting his victims.
Triggers
Bundy’s psychopathic disorder was triggered by his upbringing and background. He was born in a home that did not offer him a sense of belonging, and that is dangerous for a child’s development. The choice of his mother to disown him compelled Ted to adapt other coping mechanisms that would enable him to belong with other people (McCann, 2021). Bundy had a strained relationship with his stepfather and this made him shy while dealing with other people, hence being bullied by other children. The bullying amounted to physical and emotional abuse, which affected Ted’s ability to forge and maintain healthy relationships. Bundy’s grandfather was also a trigger contributing to his disorder as he physically assaulted his animals and Ted’s grandmother. The absence of healthy relationships to emulate in the future made it difficult for Bundy to create his own. The abuse of his grandmother also availed a misguided notion within Bundy that women were not deserving of affection, hence his tendency to murder them.
Personality Traits
Bundy was intelligent and charming in public, attributes that made him easily attract women. He was confident and flaunted his achievements with ease, owing to his eloquent nature. Bundy was also learned, having attained a law degree, and this knowledge enabled him to navigate the constraints of the law successfully through many murders (McCann, 2021). Bundy was also secretive, to the extent he managed to dupe his wife and conceal all his murders from her. Bundy was calculative, making plans and seeing them to completion, an indicator of immense focus and scathing tactic.
Information Release
Releasing the profile of a psychopath disorder patient to the public may encourage the rising of a copycat. Additionally, the copycat can analyze the profile and modify the shortcomings of the original murder, making the criminals difficult to apprehend (Gross, 2020). Releasing the profile of a psychopath such as Ted Bundy reveals details the general public may not be ready to accept about such a respected member of the community. Other people may become remorseful and attack the criminal, subverting the right channels of accessing justice, in some instances killing the individual.
Information Released and Justification
Information released to the general public includes the physical appearance of the individual and the profile of his victims. This serves to increase vigilance amongst the groups at risk and encourages them to carefully vet people and protect themselves (Gross, 2020). Releasing identities also discourages a serial killer at large to scale down their crimes, providing authorities with sufficient time to apprehend them. Information regarding the personality traits of the serial killer also boosts vigilance in the general public and should be released.
Information not Released and Justification
Information regarding the methods employed by serial killers should be withheld to prevent the uprising of copycats. Providing information regarding the means of execution avails the ammunition required by copycats to engineer the perfect crimes. Information regarding the residence of such a criminal is also withheld to prevent unlawful handling of their innocent relatives, allowing the law to take charge (Gross, 2020). Information regarding the parentage of these criminals should also be withheld to ensure people take personal responsibility for their actions.
References
Gross, M. (2020). Serial Murder and Media Coverage. Honors Undergraduate Theses.
McCann, B. J. (2021). Duplicity and the Depraved Uncanny in Mediations of Ted Bundy. Women’s Studies in Communication, 44(3), 1–20.